The best known Mexican female painter is, no doubt, Frida Kahlo. She was born in 1907 in Coyoacan (Mexico).
Frida was a revolutionary woman of her time, a feminist, a visionary. She was a representative image of the surrealism but also of naïf art. Her life would have a major impact on her paintings, the works of art being like pieces of her everyday moments, capturing the essence of her soul, of her exterior and interior image.
She is best known for her self-portraits, placing the image of Frida-the model- in a fantastic landscape full of hidden meanings and symbols. She said that: “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best”.
It is also seen in her art the love for Mexican culture and traditions that she will evocate until her last breath.
Frida Kahlo had a life of physical illness that will seal her destiny and her path as an artist. From age of six she contracted polio that caused her a lot of problems. But the destiny played with her when she had a terrible car incident when Frida was only 17 years old. Her body was badly damaged and will remain like that for the rest of her life. She will abandon her medical studies but the mark of these scientific inclinations will be seen in the major part of her paintings.
Her art was also influenced by her husband, the painter Diego Rivera. Frida and Diego were married two times and both marriages were tumultuous due to the unstable intimate life.
Her art was not promoted until 1980’s by the new artistic Mexican style called Neomexicanismo, “a slightly surreal, somewhat kitsch and postmodern version of Social Realism that focused on popular culture rather than history” (Wikipedia; The Free Encyclopedia).
In 2002, the actress Salma Hayek gave life to this unique arist in the movie „Frida”.
With every article, movie, exibit or only the simple wispering of her name, the personality and strange but also amzing art of this strong woman will became part of our existence.
A piece of her (he)art
I was wearing a violet dress by “Culture”, red dress by “Gudrun Sjoden” (www.gudrunsjoden.com) , roses for the hair from „Agnes Toma” (www.agnestoma.ro), no name jewels an pink belt.
À bientôt !