Frida, a Mexican painter, has a reputation for her symbolic subject matter and colorful canvases. She also created a large collection of self-portraits. Her paintings are very personal, influenced by “whatever passes through [her] heads without any other consideration.” Their messages and motifs can seem difficult to grasp due to their intimate and emblematic nature. But, the meanings behind her powerful paintings become clearer when they are viewed in context.
Kahlo explores many themes in her work, from her interest in her ancestry or heritage to her struggles in childlessness and femininity. However, her most famous paintings are centered around two significant events in her life. She was a victim to a near fatal accident as a teenager and she divorced Diego Rivera. This section will help you to understand seven of her most acclaimed paintings.
Learn about 7 famous Frida Kahlo paintings.
1940 Self-Portrait featuring a Thorn Necklace and a Hummingbird
Kahlo was a painter who painted 55 portraits of herself over the course her career. Because of its symbolic imagery and moving context, this piece is one of Frida Kahlo kunstwerke.
Kahlo created this piece one year after her turbulent divorce from Diego Rivera (Mexican muralist). Self-Portrait of a Woman with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird was created at a time when Kahlo was emotionally in the aftermath of their split.
Kahlo appears in the painting between a stalking panther, a monkey and foliage. Rivera and Sheldon had many monkeys, which many believe were their surrogates. She wears a necklace of thorns around her neck that is adorned with a hummingbird. Even though the accessory draws blood, her expression is still calm. Kahlo is known for her calm approach to pain. She has stated, even when she was distraught over her divorce, that “at end of the day we can endure much greater than we think.”
The Two Fridas (1939)
The Two Fridas is a self-portrait with a hummingbird and a horn necklace. It was inspired by Kahlo’s separation form Rivera. Kahlo presents two sides to herself in this piece. The left shows Kahlo as a broken-hearted woman, dressed in a traditional European dress. The right side shows her whole heart. She is wearing a modern Mexican style that she adopted when she was married to Rivera.
They hold hands as they sit down on a bench. However, this embrace is not all that binds them. From their hearts grows a single vein which wraps around their arms. Frida makes a cut in the vein, causing it bleeding. The vein runs to Rivera’s tiny portrait on the right. Frida holds it tightly and makes it almost inaudible to the unobservant.
This unique self-portrait may be a reflection of the inner identity struggles faced by Kahlo during her divorce. Although it may appear surreal, Kahlo maintained that the iconography was real-life inspired and reflected her personality. She said, “I never paint nightmares or dreamscapes.” “I paint my reality.”
1940 Self Portrait with Cropped Hair
Kahlo wanted to reinvent her self after she divorced. As a protest against her ex-husband she painted Self Portrait with Cropped Hair.
The artist is shown in a bright yellow chair and has her hair cut. Below her is a relevant lyric from a Mexican folk tune. Translated, it says: “Look! If I loved you, it was because your hair.” You are now without hair and I no longer love you.
Kahlo is clearly very different from the flowing, flowing hair and feminine jewelry that are seen in most of her Self Portrait with Cropped Hair. Surprisingly, though, this isn’t the first time that she tried a masculine look. As a child and teenager, photos show that the artist often wore suits even when her female friends and families kept a more “feminine” appearance.
Self-Portrait at the Borderline between Mexico & the United States, 1932
Kahlo was married to Rivera for four years between 1930-1934. Kahlo, despite her husband’s success and fame, faced many hardships. Self-Portrait of Kahlo on the Borderline Between Mexico And the United States reveals Kahlo’s dislike of the capitalist and industrial culture of the United States as well as her desire for the more agrarian lifestyle in Mexico.
Below is a simplified representation of Detroit, one of River’s hometowns. This depiction is composed of tall skyscrapers along with a smoke-producing plant. Below is an illustration of Mexico that features plants, vegetables, ancient statues and temple ruins. Despite her deep sadness, Kahlo became a better artist and was able try different mediums.
My Grandparents, my parents and I (Family Tree), 1936
Kahlo created only two family tree paintings: My Grandparents, my Parents, and me. It documents her mixed-race heritage. The left side shows her Mexican mother, Mexican maternal grandparents and the right side shows her German father and German grandparents. Kahlo depicts herself as a young girl standing in the center, holding the ribbon which ties them all together.
The Broken Column 1944
“There were two great accidents in the course of my life. One was the train and the other was Diego. Diego was by far and away the most severe.” In 1925 Kahlo (18 years old) was injured in a streetcar accident. She suffered a broken spine, along with other major injuries. Broken Column gives us a glimpse into the devastating effects of this accident.
The painting shows Kahlo following spinal surgery. Her body, which is nude, is covered with a hospital bed sheet and a metal corset. She is also shown partially open. In the crack that runs through her body, you can see a crumbling Ionic Column. This has replaced her spine and symbolises her broken body. The background is a barren landscape that has been similarly fractured. A stormy sky hovers above.
Kahlo created The Bus in 1929. This depiction recalls what Kahlo had seen just moments before the life-altering accident.
The Wounded Deer (1946).
The Wounded Deer is another self portrait that symbolically addresses both the emotional and physical pain caused by Kahlo’s injuries.
Kahlo portrays herself as Granizo in this piece. The deer, which was struck by arrows and placed behind a broken branch (a traditional Mexican funeral object), is clearly going to die. Kahlo’s health had declined at the time that the painting was made. Kahlo was also suffering from gangrene, other ailments, and failed corrective surgery.
The Wounded Deer also references Christian iconography, much like The Broken Column. According to the bible, Saint Sebastian was a martyred early Christian saint and martyr who was attacked by arrows. His death has been a subject of art for centuries. It likely inspired Kahlo’s choice in subject matter.
Kahlo was tragically killed in 1954. Kahlo’s personal approach to art means that her innermost emotions, and admirable imagination, are preserved in an entrancing collection of artworks.