Biography
Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo also known as Frida Kahlo was born July 6th 1907 in Coyoacan Mexico, which at the time was a small town on the outskirts of Mexico City. As a teenager Kahlo was involved in a horrific traffic accident which left her with lifelong health problems. Whilst recovering from her injuries she was isolated from other people and forced to wear a full body cast. This isolation and pain influenced much of her work with Kahlo suggesting "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best." Often celebrated as one of Mexico's greatest artists her work demonstrates both national and indigenous traditions whilst depicting the female experience and form.
Childhood
Frida Kahlo was born, raised and died in her family home, Casa Azul also known as the Blue House. Her father Wilhelm Kahlo (1872-1941), was a German photographer who documented important architectural works, streets, landmarks and churches at the beginning of the 20th century. In 1891 at the age of 19 he immigrated to Mexico where he changed his German forename, Wilhelm, to the Spanish equivalent, Guillermo. It was here that he met his first wife María Cardena, they had two daughters together (Margarita and Adriana), but unfortunately during the birth of her second child María died. Soon after this Guillermo married Frida's mother, Matilde Calderón y González, a devout Roman Catholic with a mixed decent of Mexican and Spanish, and despite having quite an unhappy marriage the pair had four daughters together, with Frida being the third.
At the age of 6, Kahlo contracted polio causing her to be bedridden for nine months. Despite recovering from the illness her right leg and foot were damaged by the disease and she ended up having to walk with a limp. Because of this her father encouraged her to play sports like soccer, go swimming and even wrestle as a way of speeding recovery. However the disease did leave her right leg looking smaller than the left, a fact she hid later in life by wearing her trade mark colourful skirts.
Bus Accident
Whilst at school Kahlo was part of a friendship group that consisted of many politically and intellectually like-minded students. On September 17th 1925 Frida and several of her friends were traveling together on a bus which collided with a tram. She was impaled on a steel handrail which went into her hip, continued through her abdomen and came out the other side. Along with this she suffered a number of serious injuries including a broken spinal column, collar bone, ribs and pelvis. There was a total of 11 fractures in her right leg and her right foot was crushed and dislocated. After the accident Kahlo was left in a great deal of pain and spent 3 months recovering in a full body cast, defying all odds however she did recover and was even able to walk again, a feat doctors believed would be impossible.
Unfortunately Kahlo would spend the rest of her life dealing with the consequences of that accident, she had many relapses, with pain so intense she was often confined to a bed for months at a time. More than 30 operations were performed mainly on her back and leg in attempts to slow the inevitable degeneration of her body. Dealing with this was incredibly hard for Kahlo but nothing compared to the emotional pain she felt after being told she was not able to have children because of the accident. Though she did conceive three times, all of her pregnancies were terminated, some just months from being full term. It was never totally clear as to what caused the inability to carry to term, but many believe that when the steel handrail pierced her abdomen it left scaring in her uterus.
Painting Career
After her accident Frida would spend her days lying in bed, to occupy her time Kahlo taught herself to paint. This lead to her abandoning a planned career in medicine to become a painter. So she could paint in bed her mother had a special easel made for her and mirrors were strategically placed around the room ensure she could see herself from all angles. A year later she completed her first self-portrait. Kahlo's work is often characterised by its stark portrayal of pain, she drew on personal experience including her marriage, miscarriages and the numerous operations she underwent to create more than 140 paintings, 55 of which are self-portraits. Deeply influenced by her culture, the use of bright colours, primitive stylings and dramatic symbolism are also a major part in many of her pieces.
The person who made the greatest influence on Kahlo's painting style was Diego Rivera an artist that she had always admired. She first approached him in 1927 at the Public Ministry of Education where he was working on a mural. She showed him four of her paintings and asked him if he thought she was gifted. Impressed by her work Rivera became a regular guest at Kahlo's house and gave her many insights about her artwork whilst still providing space for her to explore her own style.
In 1938 Kahlo's first solo showing occurred in the United States at the Julien Levy Gallery. The event was attended by many prominent artists and was well received by all. Then in 1939 at the invitation of Andre Breton, Kahlo went to France and was featured at an exhibition of her paintings in Paris where she met Wolfgang Paalen and Alice Rahon. This exhibition lead to the Louvre buying one of the paintings, "The Frame" which was on display. This was a major feat as it was the first work by a 20th century Mexican artist ever purchased by the renowned museum.
Marriage to Diego Rivera
In 1928 Rivera and Kahlo reconnected and began a relationship. The next year despite Frida's mothers disapproval the couple married. During their first couple of years together Kahlo followed Rivera based on where the commissions he received were. Often referred to as the elephant and the dove, Kahlo and Rivera never had a traditional marriage. When asking Frida to marry him Rivera was immediately upfront about his inability to remain faithful to one partner, Kahlo agreed to this despite it causing her pain as long as Diego remained loyal to her. Diego however was not the only one who has affairs, the openly bisexual Kahlo had affairs with both men and women. Their on and off again affairs lasted until Rivera slept with Kahlo's younger sister Cristina. In response to this betrayal Kahlo divorced Rivera in 1939, moved into the flat above his ex-wife and cut off her trademark long dark hair. They were however remarried in 1940 this second marriage was as troubled as the first and their living quarters were often separated but still joined by a bridge. The marriage lasted until the time of Kahlo's death.
Later Years and Death
The degeneration of Kahlo's body began to rapidly speed up in 1950, and after being diagnosed with gangrene in her right foot, her toes were amputated. She spent 9 months in hospital during this time and had several operations in attempts to fix her spine. Her first and only solo exhibition in her home town was in 1953, and despite still being bedridden she was determined to attend. Arriving by ambulance, she spent the night celebrating with the events attendees from the comfort of her bed. This joy was dampened however by the amputation of her leg under the knee in an attempt to stop the spread of gangrene. After this she was hospitalised several times because of poor health and once for what many believed was a suicide attempt. Her final public appearance was on July 2nd at a public demonstration against the U.S - backed overthrow of President Jacobo Arbenz of Guatemala. About a week later on July 13th 1954 at the age of 47 Kahlo died at her beloved Blue House. There has been a large amount of speculation around the nature of her death, with many people believing that the reported cause of pulmonary embolism was a fake and that it was actually a suicide. Her last diary entry read "I hope the end is joyful, and I hope never to return." A week later as per her wishes Kahlo was cremated her ashes are now on display at the Frida museum in Mexico.
Artistic Legacy
Unfortunately it wasn't until after her death that Kahlo's fame as an artist began to grow, and today more than half a century after her death her paintings fetch more money that any other female artist. Her beloved Blue House was left to the Mexican government by Diego and turned into a museum in 1958. All of her personal effects can still be found here, and if it was not for the urn containing her ashes you would be tempted to believe that she has just stepped out to allow you to tour her home. Frida Kahlo may be gone but her legacy will live on forever.
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