July holds a special significance in connection with Frida Kahlo. This year, she would have turned 117 on July 6th. While marking 70 years since her passing on July 14th. Her legacy extends far beyond her artistic works. Let’s remember the seven faces of Frida Kahlo, a revolutionary ahead of her time who paved the way for others.
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter and one of the most influential figures of the 20th century. Her legacy lies in her self-portraits, blending pain, passion, nature, and pop culture with bold, vibrant colours. Painting served as her antidote and resilience during periods of immobilization. She suffered from polio as a child and survived a near-fatal bus accident as a teenager, enduring multiple fractures and surgeries. She experienced a turbulent marriage and struggled with alcoholism throughout her life.
revolutionary nationalism
Frida Kahlo often claimed she was born three years later than her actual birth to associate herself with the Mexican Revolution that began in 1910.
Kahlo’s paintings became a vibrant embodiment of Mexican culture, showcasing its food, music, bright colours, and traditional customs during a nationalist renaissance that revitalized a once-forgotten cultural identity. They also depicted shadows and darkness, subtly referencing Mexico poverty and her personal struggles.
Her artworks frequently featured Aztec symbols, flowers, monkeys, and skulls.
In addition to these elements, Kahlo incorporated hairstyles, jewellery, and attire, particularly the long folk Tehuana dresses from southern Mexico.
a fruit of a cultural melting pot
Though Frida Kahlo is a Mexican symbol, she is a product of a cultural melting pot. Her father was born in Germany with Jewish and Hungarian ancestry, or possibly from a long line of German Lutherans. Her mother was of indigenous Mexican and Spanish descent. Kahlo's work reflects this diverse heritage, drawing inspiration primarily from Mexican folk culture intertwined with elements from pre-Columbian and Catholic beliefs.
Kahlo subtly asserted her heritage by spelling her name "Frieda," alluding to "Frieden," meaning "peace" in German, in response to the rising Nazism in Germany.
gender revolution
Frida Kahlo’s journey remains significant for women, challenging societal norms with her career and socialist beliefs amidst male-dominated leadership. During an era when women were expected to stay at home and support their husbands. Frida Kahlo's communist beliefs were significant, predating the red scare in the Western world.
Additionally, Kahlo's famous self-portraits served as an inspiring source for women, encouraging them to envision themselves beyond domestic constraints. Her diverse inspirations ranged from Renaissance and Surrealism to ancient Aztec beliefs, Mexican folklore, Eastern philosophy, and medical imagery.
Painted during a period of immobility following an accident, these self-portraits became a form of autobiography for Kahlo. They depicted her turbulent marriage, adulterous affairs, miscarriages, and numerous operations, while also connecting with women's experiences more broadly.
Kahlo is an unwitting icon, boldly depicting the female experience and form. Despite her own struggles, she fought for workers' rights and women’s empowerment. At home, she pushed boundaries by appearing in family photos dressed in a man’s suit, challenging traditional gender norms.
intersectional icon
Kahlo was openly bisexual. In contrast to many Western societies, Mexico’s ancestral indigenous people historically accepted homosexuality and transgender identities.
The Isthmus Zapotecs recognize a traditional third gender known as "muxe," assigned male at birth but who typically adopt feminine roles and behaviours. They perform both men's and women's work and are revered as symbols of good luck and blessing within their communities.
Similarly, in Mayan society, there was historical tolerance for homosexuality, often intertwined with ritual practices. Shamans engaged in homosexual acts with their patients, and priests conducted ritualized homosexual acts with their gods.
The Toltecs were known for their high tolerance of various forms of sexuality, including public displays of sex and eroticism, as well as homosexual acts.
Conversely, little is known about same-sex relationships in Aztec society, where the topic remains largely unexplored.
From 1970 onward, Mexico's LGBT community has made significant strides. Influenced by the U.S. gay liberation movement and events like the 1968 Tlatelolco massacre, small political and cultural groups began to emerge in the early 1970s, marking a growing movement towards LGBTQ+ rights and visibility.
trailblazer
In 1939, André Breton arranged Frida Kahlo's first solo exhibition in Paris. Despite its initial lack of success, the Louvre Museum later purchased her painting “The Frame,” making Kahlo the first Mexican artist in their collection
Despite Louvre Museum controversies and cultural appropriation concerns, Kahlo's collaboration with the institution is seen as an accomplishment. Her work brought diversity through Latin American colours and symbols, challenging the dominance of a monoculture linked to white straight males.
she can do it!
Frida Kahlo's story continues to evolve from the perspective of a disabled woman. In a world where ability takes precedence in epistemological theorizing, Kahlo found solace and resilience through art, using it as both comfort and coping mechanism amidst her disability and chronic pain. Her paintings serve as an autobiographical visual diary, offering representation to disabled individuals who have long been marginalized in society. The citizens of paper. Numbers in statistics. Subject-matter in the news and subject-does-not-matter for society. Pure ghosts haunting society and invisible in the eyes of justice.
latina
During her lifetime, Frida Kahlo achieved moderate success. It was only several years after her death that her work gained widespread acclaim, solidifying her status as an icon.
Kahlo's biopics have been criticized for using "cripface," casting disabled characters with actors who do not have disabilities.
In parallel to Kahlo’s journey, in Brazil, there was Tarsila do Amaral, who hailed from a privileged background. She used her position to profoundly influence both nationally and internationally as a prominent painter of the 20th century.
Tarsila was a pioneer, annulling her marriages before the Brazilian Suffragette movement gained momentum and when divorce laws were non-existent. Despite facing prejudice, particularly from intellectuals who scorned the colours of her rural origins, these very colours became hallmarks of her work, embodying Brazil's rural and urban landscapes, its fauna, flora, folklore, and its people.
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