Frida Kahlo was a Mexican Painter who was born 1907 and died 1954. She is now one of the most known female artists of the twentieth century. Her work is currently displayed in the Tate Modern Museum and has an exhibition dedicated to her pieces of work and was involved with surrealism.
Frida Kahlo suffered with multiple mental health issues as well as physical disabilities throughout her life, which influenced her style of work, , as well as having a impacted relationship with artist Diego Rivera at age 22 when he was 44 at that time, this triggered episodes of depression and suicide attempts.
Her most memorable features in her work are her use of nature in the backgrounds of her work and as well as, her use of eyebrows in her self-portrait as a unique mark of her work.
It is stated that in Kahlo’s review in The Guardian that her work was more political, religion and communism, in the article written. “Scholars have devoted themselves to the influence of religious symbols, Mexican communism and folk art on Kahlo’s painting, and this show will take in all three – the costumes she copied, the votive emblems she collected, the photographs of Lenin, Stalin, Marx and Trotsky (with whom she had an affair) pinned above her bed. – Laura Cummings. Reference: https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2018/jun/10/frida-kahlo-making-her-self-up-v-and-a-cindy-sherman-spruth-magers-review
It is known that ‘at least one third of her paintings are self‐portraits, in which she dramatically expresses her struggles with pain, depression and sorrow, intertwined with vivid images of flowers, monkeys and surreal elements, making her art a striking unforgettable experience.’ Reference: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/bdi.25_12616
This shows that pain can be influenced for artwork and that it can create a coping mechanism throughout her life by her details in her work shows emotions through painting. Her diagnosis of multiple illnesses did not stop her creating pieces of work, instead this created a unique blend of style and passion towards her work. Her details in this piece of work that I have chosen, reflect on how influenced and determination using painting as a coping mechanism away from physical trauma or mental wellbeing issues.
Shana Callaghan 