Born Magdelena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon, to a German Father and Amerindian and Spanish mother. Her style was influenced by her mothers culture she wore gaudy jewelry, and dresses and as stated in Guerrilla Girls "..I played up my mother's heritage to the hilt: I wore peasant clothes, jewelry, and hairstyles." It has been stated that initially, Frida was attending school to become a doctor she had no interest in becoming an artist. It was events that followed in her life which lead her to become interested in art.
Frida suffered a bad accident at the age of 18, in which she broke her spinal column, and her pelvis. Many were skeptical that she would live, and if she did, she would never be able to walk again or have children. After many months in recovery she did walk again, but was unable to have children. The journey of her paintings began through her months in recovery.
Her first and many paintings were of herself, by making herself the subject of the painting not only was she identifying with her heritage by the use of her garments and jewelry but she was also stating I am experiencing these obstacles. She was the art in her artwork. She used her own female body in her paintings and paints her life.She painted a biography of all the experiences she went through in life.
After she recovered she reached out to Diego Rivera which at the time was a mural painter, and an amazing one. She did everything in her power to get his attention and when she did he took her under his wing and eventually they have a crazy, unstable love story. "I seduced Diego when I was young and he was already a great painter." (GG,78)
Diego always thought highly of her work and knew she was extremely talented. However, when involved with Diego she was in his shadow. As stated in Guerrilla Girls " My husband Diego was treated like a god in his lifetime (I treated him like a god, too) but I was a martyr and was canonized only after I had suffered and died." (GG, 78)
During the times she was an artist many things were happening in Mexico, and she was very involved and it also is shown in her work. As stated in the PBS article "She was a revolutionary artist born amidst political
chaos in her homeland; born in the year of its own bloody rebirth, give
or take a couple years. That image, according to the artist, is more
truthful than fact itself. "
She was identified as a surrealist artist and though she denied the connection, her work does express it. "During this period women artist were reinventing themselves as " beguiling personalities, poised uneasily between the worlds of artifice (art) and nature, or instinctual life." (Chadwicks, 313) 
In 1932, the above painting "My Birth" was drawn. This is depicting her own birth and is depicting her self coming out of the womb as an adult. This also addresses the fact that she herself has been unable to conceive. She drew her mothers face covered with the blanket to express that she had never been very close with her mother, unattached. The painting of the lady on the wall is called " Our Lady of Sorrow" which the lady is pierced by swords, and is bleeding and weeping expresses the sadness and pain in the image and the sadness Frida feels.
In 1944, Frida painted the above painting titled " The Broken Column" which relates to the broken spinal column she suffered from in her accident. The nails signify the pain she experiences, throughout the years her pain still exist. The large nail by her heart signifies the pain she experiences from her love Diego.
Frida Kahlo is one of my all time favorite painters. Her oil paintings speak volumes, and make such huge statements. She was so talented and through all her pain she kept it together enough to make such beautiful work. Her work surprises individuals on a daily basis. She was one individual that painted from her own experiences and her art work was her journal. Like writers have books, and memoirs, Frida had her paintings, truly amazing artist. She was an exceptional artist.
Below is my favorite clip from the movie Frida
I paint what I see the world outside, You Frida You paint from your heart
References:
Chadwick, Whitney. Women, Art, and Society. 3rd Edition. United Kingdom: Thames and Hudson Ltd., 1990.
Girls, Guerrilla. The Guerrilla Girls' Bedside Companion To The History of Western Art. England: Penguin Books., 1998
"The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo." PBS. PBS, 1 Mar. 2005. Web. 15 Nov. 2012. <http://www.pbs.org/weta/fridakahlo/life/index.html>.
Voorhies, James. "Surrealism". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/surr/hd_surr.htm (October 2004)
"Frida Kahlo". Encyclopaedia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/309679/Frida-Kahlo/309679yblinks/Year-in-Review-Links>.
Encyclopaedia Britannica Inc., 2012. Web. 15 Nov. 2012
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/309679/Frida-Kahlo/309679yblinks/Year-in-Review-Links>.
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