One of the most outstanding Mexican painters of the 20th century without a doubt is Frida Kahlo, companion of the famous artist, Diego Rivera. Her contribution to the Mexican plastic is indisputable but it has also been in other areas such as in film, literature and popular art. Many craftsman of different branches, such as ceramic and paint have been inspired by Kahlo’s work, making her into an art icon.
Parallel to researchers of her life and work, such as teachers Teresa del Conde, Raquel Tibol and Hayden Herrera, comes the need for craftsman and cultural promoters, such as the JP Popular Mexican Art workshop, that comes together for the tribute of Frida’s 100 birthday and the 50th anniversary of Diego Rivera’s death, that are taking place in all of Mexico and in various countries.
Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo Calderon was born on July 7th, 1907 in Coyoacan, Mexico, the daughter of Matilde Calderon, a mestizo of Oaxaca, Mexico and Guillermo Kahlo, of Hungarian origin and a photographer by profession, she had three sisters, Matilde and Adriana whom were older and Cristina, the youngest. Her fathers influence was decisive since her first years.
Her explosive and determined behavior helped her overcome tragic experiences that followed her throughout her life. Biographers tell that at the beginning of her adolescent years, Kahlo had great interest in biology and zoology; at age 16 she entered the Escuela Nación Preparatoria, which in those days was located in the San Ildefonso building in the Historic Center. Her intelligence and fearlessness made her a part of a group of high school students named “The Cachuchas”, in which her first love, Alejandro Gomez Arias was also a member of along with Juan N. Lira among others.
Shortly after, an unfortunate incident changed her life forever.
On September 17, 1925, Frida along with Gomez Arias were on a trolley headed to Coyoacan, which was rammed into by a streetcar. Due to the accident, Frida was left terribly injured with a pelvis and spinal fracture. She survived miraculously, although she had to remain almost immobilized for various months and suffered multiple surgeries.
In the midst of desperation, terrible pain and the tedium of having to be bandaged almost completely, she remembered the box of paints her father gave her, the same thing she asked her mother for, who also had a special painting easel made just for Frida. In bed and almost without wanting to, grew the legend of Frida Kahlo that has transcended the barriers of time.
Many anecdotes of her life continue in the dozens of volumes that have been written about this controversial artist, but one of these anecdotes has converted her into a legend, creating a true “Fridology”.
You cannot conceive the creation of a work of art that’s so heart-rending, enigmatic, sincere, and sometimes naïve, without possessing a special ability to resist adversity and a joy for life that’s contagious, the indisputable fact is that for scholars as well as layman, the personality, color and the pain that her work reflects, traps and with difficulty passes by unnoticed. “¡VIVA LA VIDA!” -Frida 1954.
Facebook Comments
