Leo Matisse Frida Kahlo - 1941 - Leo Matisse Foundation
"My paintings have always been based on my emotions, psychological states, and inner feelings brought about by life experiences. I often present these things objectively and turn them into images about myself. I want to express my innermost feelings, and these paintings are the most sincere things I can do": Frida Kahlo [Frida Kahlo, 1907-1954] from Mexico described her work in an application form in 1940 when the Guggenheim Foundation organized the prize prize.
At that time, the situation was not very good on the economic side; she tried to sell paintings in the art profession, but the income alone was not enough to survive. She also didn't want to borrow money from Diego Rivera [1886-1957] again. Rivera was one of the main exponents of the Muralismo mexicano movement in Mexico.
Rida and Rivera are 20 years apart and married many years ago. However, Rivera betrayed the marriage several times. The relationship between the two is quite complicated: Frida loves and hates, mixed with admiration. She wrote many famous love poems, one of which reads:
"Can new verbs be invented?" I want to give you one: I "heaven" you, so that I can spread my wings without scruples and love you boundlessly."
For the sake of her own love, for the sake of the people she loved, she gave her all, without reservation, regardless of difficulties. At the same time, she hates everything her lover has allowed herself to bear: a steady stream of betrayal.
Leo Matisse Frida Carlo, Christina Carlo, Diego Rivera and a Friend - 1941 - Leo Matisse Foundation
In addition, she was in poor health and had to bear heavy medical expenses: as a child, she suffered from polio, so her right leg muscles were weak; at the age of 18, she suffered a traffic accident, colliding with a tram while riding a bus, resulting in multiple fractures of the spine, lumbar spine, pelvic bone, and serious abdominal injuries. Her whole life has been affected by the eyes of this accident: multiple miscarriages, more than thirty surgeries, absolutely physical and mental torture.
After the accident, during a long bed rest, Frida began to come into contact with painting.
Many friends came to help with the Guggenheim Foundation's prize prizes, such as the composer and conductor Carlos Chávez [1899-1978] and the art historian and critic Meyer Schapiro [1904-1996]. Shapiro, referring to Frida, said:
"An outstanding painter, absolutely original, one of the most interesting Mexican artists I know. Her work is definitely comparable to the best of José Clemente Orozco (1883-1949) and Rivera. In a sense, she is more Mexican than these two. Compared to them, Frida does not present that heroic and tragic emotion, but in the form of decoration is closer to the traditional and public perception of Mexico. ”
André Breton [1896–1966], Marcel Duchamp [1887–1968], William Valentiner [1880–1958], Walter Pach [1883–1958], Conger Goodyear [1877-1964] And Rivera herself wrote letters of introduction for her.
Leo Matisse, Frida Kahlo Stands in Front of the Blue House - 1944 - Foundation Leo Matisse
In the career background column of the application form, Frida wrote:
"12 years ago, I was bedridden for almost a year due to a traffic accident and have been painting ever since. Over the years, I have been creating under the spontaneous impulse of emotion. I have never followed any genre or influence, and my expectations for creation are only the joy of the simplest and purest painting, expressing words that cannot be said in another world.".
She also wrote:
"I've painted portraits, compositions of people, and paintings with landscapes and still lifes. I found my own way of expression through painting without any prejudices. For ten years, I've been doing subtraction, leaving only those inner emotions that drive my paintings."
In the end, she did not receive the bonus funding.
Frida Carroll, Self-Portrait with Ponito the Parrot - 1944 - Dolores Olmedo Museum, Mexico City
In her self-portraits, she always holds her head high, even a little arrogant, usually a bust, paying special attention to color and detail.
She even wrote a text that explicitly gave the meaning of the different colors. All of these colors come from the traditional hues of Mexican art, the earth color system, and she herself gives psychological meaning to each color such as olive green, brown, yellow, blue, magenta, etc. For example, olive green represents oppression; peat represents despair; yellow represents madness and fear; and red and pink represent blood and death.
Frida Kahlo, Self-Portrait with a Few Monkeys – 1943 – Private Collection
In the background, vines, plants, tropical vegetation are often intertwined, and occasional buds appear. Monkeys are often depicted in the paintings, becoming more common after their divorce from Rivera in 1940. It seems that these monkeys are filling the void left by their husbands, highlighting the loneliness.
Frida Kahlo, Untitled (Self-Portrait with a Hummingbird Thorn Necklace) – 1940 – Harry Ranson Center, Austin, USA
In the 1940 self-portrait of a hummingbird with a thorn necklace, there is also a black cat, staring at the tiger, while the dead hummingbird hangs on the thorn necklace. The thorn necklace is bound to bring more wounds. The hummingbird, on the other hand, is a symbol of good luck for love in Mexico, but this dead bird seems to express Frida's feelings about love.
Frida Carroll, Broken Spine - 1944 - Dolores Olmedo Museum, Mexico City
In Broken Spine, she is like a martyr with a charred land in the background.
Frida Kahlo, "The Wounded Deer" - 1946 - Private collection
In the painting "Wounded Deer", Frida's face appears on the deer's body, and the deer is hit by arrows in many places, and the wound is bleeding.
Each painting shows Frida's inner pain, a sharp contrast between the face that is completely devoid of emotion and the many signs of pain that occupy the picture.
This article is excerpted from the Italian newspaper Finestre dell'arte, originally written by Ilaria Baratta. Pantesire's Art Digest has been authorized to translate it into Chinese
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