Frida Kahlo Influence
Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, as Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón. Three years after Kahlo's birth the Mexican Revolution began. This was a major event in Mexican history as well as an influence on much of Kahlo's art. She was a surrealist painter which means that she expressed her deepest feelings and thoughts through her paintings. The public viewed her as a high spirited yet rebellious woman who liked to paint what she knew. Her daily life was reflected into most if not all of her paintings, and she used her painting as an escape to express her emotions. Her unique style has made her one of the most famous Mexican artists of her time.
This painting is a self portrait of Frida Kahlo, in two split personalities. The Two Frida's was made in 1939. It is oil on canvas, …show more content…
standing at a height of 5'81/2 square. It is hanging in the Museo de Arte, in Mexico City. There are two Fridas, sitting in adjacent chairs and holding hands, staring back at the viewer. The two Frida's are sitting on a green weaved bench on a brownish smooth floor, and behind them is a painting of blue and gray sky on a wall.
The Two Fridas is a self-portrait containing two women that are symbolic of Frida Kahlo. The women have completely different appearances, but are linked in this picture. The women are sitting side-by-side in identical sitting formation. The two are also physically connected through the connected vein. The surroundings and accessories of the women look to be that of separation and each respective woman’s (or physiological side’s) style. The sky behind the women displays a dark and eerie sky. The woman on the left is wearing a formal white European-style dress. The dress is very proper and has the characteristics of sophisticated attire. The dress is very frilly and has an eloquent pattern on the upper portion of the dress. The dress covers the majority of her body and the woman’s skin is paler than that of the second woman. Both attributes listed above point in the direction of a high-class individual. Another high-class and proper property shown by the woman on the left is her hair and make-up. She has very neat and tied down hair. Her make-up is very accurately and crisply put on. Overall, the woman on the left is very presentable in high-class society. The woman on the right has a very different appearance. This woman has on very casual clothing. She seems to wearing a very informal dress with a long, dirty, and green bottom that is hemmed with a white, stained fabric. The dress seems to be very unkempt and unclean. This shows her less formal side. The top is very loose and stylistically sloppy, and it seems to be untidy as well. Her body language is also more relaxed. She doesn’t seem to be wearing a bra in the picture, so maybe her mood is more relaxed. The woman on the right is also holding a small picture in her hand. The picture is so small that the viewer cannot identify it easily. The face of the woman on the right seems to be dirtier that the left as well. The make-up is essentially vacant from her face and she has upper lip hair growing. Another area of sloppiness is the hairline of the woman on the right. The woman on the left, as pointed out earlier, has a very clean and tidy hairstyle/hairline. The woman on the right, however, has a hairline full of array and discombobulation. There also seems to be juxtaposition with the respective circulatory systems. The woman on the left has a heart with exposed damages and impurities and a pair of scissors cutting one of her veins in half. The woman on the right has a very healthy heart and long flowing veins. Both the women’s veins both lead to each one’s respective hands, but each one has a different object in it (the left having the scissors and the right having the picture). The women are not only linked through the connection of the circulatory systems, but are holding hands. Essentially, this is examining what purpose the artist, Frida Kahlo, has in the details or ‘facts’ displayed in the artwork, The Two Fridas. The facts acquired in the previous paragraph are now analyzed using knowledge and research about the author and painting. As stated in the introduction, Frida Kahlo’s work typically contains bold emotions displayed through the art. The Two Fridas does not stray far from the typical Frida Kahlo painting. Frida starts the boldness instantly with the uncontemporary self-portrait. The self-portrait is of two women; the viewer is already captured by this unique style. Frida seems to show her divided feelings or personalities through her ‘two Fridas’. Frida’s life during the creation of The Two Fridas was very hectic because she was getting a divorce to other well-known Mexican artist, Diego Rivera (About Frida Kahlo’s Art). Her life was a very violent mess at this time. She reportedly still loved him, proven by the fact that they later remarry, providing evidence that there was mixed emotions of the divorce. The violent mess is communicated through the stormy background Frida paints. The storm surrounding her torn feelings is perfectly communicated through this painting. The two women are tied together through obligation (connecting veins) and choice (holding hands). This shows the complexity of Frida’s emotions through very simple details. The stormy background makes it seem like there is a struggle between the two women, and this matches up with the idea of a forced connection with through the circulatory system. If this were the only connection between the two, the emotions would be quite simple. The fact that the women are voluntarily holding hands makes this relationship more complex. The willingness to grasp each other’s hand shows the mixed emotions Frida was feeling at this time. The storm and the two women show that there is a separation, but the connecting veins and hands make it seem like the separation wasn’t exactly wanted. Another interesting aspect of this connection is the focus Frida puts on what each woman has in each respective hand. The woman on the right is holding a picture, and the picture’s content is that of Diego Rivera (Frida Kahlo Paintings). Frida clearly states the two different sides (or women) with this detail. The woman on the right represents a girl who is still in love with Rivera. She has stayed true to her origins in Mexico as a lower class person through her attire and unkempt manner. This woman that loves Rivera is shown as a comfortable woman. The woman on the left is holding a pair of scissors and seems to be keen on causing harm to her circulatory system. The woman may even be trying to rid herself of the pain of being connected to the Frida that loves Rivera. She desperately feels the need to separate from the lifestyle of a loving wife. The scissors are then very necessary for the woman on the left. The scissors are the only way for separation to occur. Frida may have drawn the women to have their most important possessions in their respective hands. The woman on the left values the scissors because it provides an escape from her roots and Rivera’s love. The woman on the right values her husband, Diego Rivera, most. The fact that they are both grabbing each other’s hands shows that they care about each other too much to let the natural desire to separate prevail. This aspect clearly shows the complexity of Frida’s emotions. The woman on the left wants separation, but can’t let go. The woman on the right wants to be free from the sophisticated and independent lifestyle, but can’t give up that quality. Frida Kahlo’s divorce occurred right after her visit to Europe. She observed the proper lifestyle of European ladies (Digital Arts and Sciences Corp., 1998). It seems as though Frida wants to move on to an independent and proper lifestyle, but her love for Rivera lingers. The fact that the women are holding hands shows that Frida’s crossroads in life isn’t clear-cut and involves intense emotions.
Frida Kahlo had a tendency to involve bold details in her artwork. The boldest aspect of this piece is the fact that the circulatory system is exposed. Obviously, normal people do not have exposed circulatory systems, so what is the purpose for including this? Most people associate the circulatory system with vulnerability. Blood is a product of being hurt or damaged, which is a pretty vulnerable activity. The heart is a consistent symbol of raw emotion and love. Frida shows how her exposed heart is a symbol of her exposing her emotions through her painting. The circulatory systems are different between the two women. The woman on the left is bleeding and has a damaged heart. The woman on the right has a healthy heart and veins. As pointed out earlier, the woman on the left is the post-Rivera, independent, and European Frida. The damaged heart of this Frida could mean multiple things. The damage could mean that she has been damaged from the divorce with Rivera. It could also mean that it hurts her to separate from the original Frida. Either way, Frida Kahlo shows her true emotions during the time period because of the damaged heart. Through this, Frida shows that the Frida at the time of the painting was the one on the left. Frida Kahlo would never have painted The Two Fridas if she were completely fine. The painting shows her emotion crossroads and the storm going on inside of her, and her heart would never be intact during that mess. She also indicates that she carries the pain with her everywhere through the bloodstains on the dress. This is also another reason she keeps the circulatory systems connected. Frida identifies herself as the woman on the left, but she is still connected to the other, and the other connected to her. This is where Frida shows that she is still in love with Rivera at the time after the divorce. The vein of the woman on the right leads straight to the picture of Rivera. Even though Frida is the woman on the left at this time, she is still connected to Rivera through her blood and through her heart. The circulatory system is another example of how Frida Kahlo uses a bold style to communicate complex emotions.
The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo is a great piece of artwork to be a critic for. It provides very unique and bold visual aspects that translate to deep and intense emotional expressions. Frida shows her true brilliance and complexity through the two-person self-portrait. Frida displays the intense emotions involved with the crossroad in her life through her unique style and boldness. Overall, the piece was very thought provoking and provided perspective to embrace all types of expression. The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo truly is a piece of art.
One such painting, “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird,” is a depiction of Kahlo’s life at one point in time. It shows the artist wearing a thorn necklace with a hummingbird hanging from the necklace; the painting also has a black cat behind the artist’s left shoulder and a black baby monkey behind the artist’s right shoulder. In the background, there are many dark colored leaves to cover the whole area in the back with one yellow leaf behind Kahlo’s head. The painter portrays these objects as a symbolic meaning to an emotion or event in her life.
This painting shows Kahlo with a dead hummingbird hanging like a charm from her thorn necklace. The bird's dark wings mimic Frida Kahlo's trademark dark eyebrows. Mexican culture attributes luck in love to these dead birds. At the time this portrait was painted, Frida was going through yet another painful ordeal with her husband, which in itself may be seen as a theme in her work
“Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird” is showing her suffering and her hope that she has in her life. Every single object in this painting has some symbolic meaning which represents something about the artist. Remember, not all of Kahlo’s paintings are going to be about her suffering and hope; it will be about her emotions at some point in her life. Every artist has their own style of expressing themselves through different creations of art; keep an open mind.
In Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, Kahlo mixes indigenous Aztec tradition with Christian imagery. The thorn necklace echoes Christ's Crown of Thorns while at the same echoes Aztec practices where priests performed self-mutilation with agave thorns and stingray spines. The dead hummingbird is sacred to the chief god of Tenochtitlan, Huitzilopichtli, the god of sun and of war. The fearful Aztec goddess Coatlicue wears a necklace of skull.
The monkey was her beloved pet and then the cat, it was kind of like the devil and the angel sitting on her shoulders, and the cat really wanted to eat the hummingbird, which it said was the symbol of love in Latin American countries. And the monkey was just toying with her necklace. I really liked the detail and the symmetry, and the colors were so vivid against the background…the lush green and the purples were so bright, they just jumped out.
The focal point of the artwork is her face, which is established by placement, contrast and line. The monobrow is vertically centred and almost horizontally in the middle. The black colouring of the monobrow is sharply contrasted against the paler, reddish-brown colour of her skin. The hummingbird at the bottom not only “points” upwards to the face, but has also been cleverly manipulated to imitate Kahlo’s brow, drawing further attention to her facial features. From the monobrow, the eye then travels back down to the hummingbird, then back towards the cloth crown and butterflies.
The bold contrasting use of colour emphasizes Kahlo’s monobrow, eyes and hair, making her appear quite solemn. The use of tone adds shadows under her eyes, creating the feel of sadness and tiredness. Emphasis on Kahlo’s brow and eyes make her eyes soulful in appearance, which captivates the viewer’s attention, causing them to scrutinise the painting. Keeping the painting balanced by positioning the monkey and cat over the shoulders create three balanced sections, keeping the focus on the figure.
Symbolism plays a huge role in all of Kahlo’s work, and without her use of symbols many of her works would be absent of emotions and any deeper meaning. A dead hummingbird, a necklace of thorns, butterflies and dragonflies and a monobrow are all used in “Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird and Unibrow.” Hummingbirds are a traditional Mexican symbol of good luck, and are ironically used in reference to her unfortunate life, and to her Mexican heritage. The thorn necklace represents Christ’s unravelled crown of thorns, marking Frida’s Christianity, whilst the dragonflies and butterflies symbolise the Resurrection. The exaggerated beard and monobrow are political statements towards feminism as in western culture they are seen as undesirable and so are purposely emphasized.
Kahlo’s painting was created in Mexico 1940, a time of great economical and political change in Mexico. Kahlo was a nationalist but avant-garde representational artist in the era of surrealism, and her paintings have been described as a combination of surrealism, symbolism, and realism. (Frida Kahlo, 2007) The aim of surrealism was to unleash the “deep layer” of the human mind where memories and the most basic instincts are stored, and to revive the “unconscious” mind and reconcile it with rational life. Kahlo unconsciously utilized the first images, thoughts, and desires that crossed her mind. (Hernandez, 2007, Frida-Kahlo, The Surrealist?)
In her art, Kahlo interpreted these themes in a symbolic manner to express and understand the tragedy of her life. It was only after a horrendous vehicle accident when she was eighteen that she started most of her artwork, to channel her pain into something expressive, an outlet of her experiences. Kahlo’s work went beyond the limits of reality. She transferred every thought into her painting, and demonstrated that her life revolved around pain and horror. (Brown, 2002, Frida Kahlo- an Amazing Woman) Her painting reflects Mexican culture through the traditional flat, two-dimensional figures. The political and gender-based message of feminism and nationalism is shown through the unconventional exaggeration of her monobrow and moustache.
Suffering and pain may be shown through facial expressions or through the objects in the painting. As stated in the title of the self-portrait, the thorn necklace is wrapped around her neck, puncturing little holes in her neck. This is a symbol of pain and suffering just as Christ was in pain wearing the thorn crown. As the blood is dripping down from her punctured wounds on her neck, Kahlos facial expression is so discreet that it does not seem like she is in pain; as if the artist wanted to appear strong and unbreakable while keeping all the pain and suffering inside. The artist may be suffering on the inside, but she likes to have a little bit of hope on the outside as well.
Pablo Picasso was probably the most famous artist of the twentieth century.
During his artistic career, which lasted more than 75 years, he created thousands of works, not only paintings but also sculptures, prints, and ceramics, using all kinds of materials. He almost single-handedly created modern art. He changed art more profoundly than any other artist of this century because he was an inspiration.
The influence of Pablo Picasso on art can be measured via the enduring fame of the man; he remains, arguably, the most famous artist since Michelangelo, more celebrated than Duschamp, Monet or Cezanne. He was a legend during his own lifetime, the celebrated Salvador Dalí citing Picasso as, “his hero, and to be taken seriously by him [Picasso], a sort of right of passage.”
His private life and professional life merged more than most famous artists. Bar for a small period towards the end of his life, Picasso was free from the scandal that accompanied the legends of Matisse, Van Gogh or Manet, for instance. Art was always his first mistress, although more than most other artists, Picasso drew from the experiences which touched him in his personal life to inspire his creative
output.
Pablo Picasso's 1937 painting Guernica is renowned as one of the world's most famous anti-war pieces of art, and was painted explicitly to protest against the bombing of Guernica in Spain by German and Italian fighter planes. Following completion of the painting later that year, Picasso allowed it to go on a brief world tour, his aim being to ensure that people all around the globe would be aware of the horrors being carried out in Spain. Picasso was strongly against the fascists in the Civil War, and Guernica remains not only his most overt anti-war statement, but one of the most well known anti-war statements of all time.
The bombing of Guernica had been requested by the Spanish Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, and was seen by many as one of the most horrific uses of brutal force during the conflict. Guernica was a small village of just a few thousand citizens. Most were women and children, because the men were away fighting. The bombing was therefore more of an attempt at intimidation than an attack with real strategic value. Estimates of the number of dead range from 400-500 up to 1,600, with the former being considered today to be more accurate.
Regardless of the number of casualties, however, the impact of the Guernica bombing was substantial: it demonstrated once and for all the cooperation between German, Italian and Spanish fascist groups, and it also convinced the rest of the world that the German Luftwaffe was committed to terror bombings of the type. The impact during the subsequent World War 2 was considerable, as Guernica was one of the key events that shaped the Allied analysis of German aerial combat tactics.
In the centre, a horse can be made out, but there are other, hidden images present too, including a human skull and another bull. The spear that has run through the horse and caused it so much pain creates a gaping wound that dominates much of the rest of the scene. It is also important to recognise that the action seems to be taking place in a room, at least on the left side, while a burning building is visible on the right. Picasso's intention appears to be to place this carnage both inside and outside, and to show how it brings man down to the level of beasts. The bull on the left is the crucial link between the human and animal aspects of war, as it stops to consider the pain of the grieving woman just as the other pull gores the horse.
The lightbulb in the sun, at the top of the painting, symbolises the hopelessness of man's attempt to appeal to God for help. Picasso is showing how God is simply another manmade items, like a lightbulb, and there is no promise of deliverance from the horrific scene that is unfolding. Meanwhile a woman seems to float through a window with a flame held up, but the look of horror on her face clearly shows that she was not prepared for the scene that she is now witnessing. Again, Picasso appears to be showing the lack of hope present in this scene. It is clear, overall, that the painting was completed when Picasso was at a low ebb, uncertain whether Spain would ever recover from the horrors of its war.
The right of the painting is perhaps the most conventional, featuring as it does a human figure wracked with pain and on fire. This is a less symbolic and more realistic portrayal of another part of the horrors of war, with flames surrounding the figure and, to the extreme right of the canvas, a dark door opening. There are different interpretations of this door. Some see it as the only hope for those trapped in the painting, as if they can still escape. Others see it as an ominous sign, a doorway to nothingness and a sign that Picasso believes the conflict will lead only to destruction. It is possible to see the door as both simultaneously, offering an equal chance of either oblivion or salvation. However, the bleakness of the view through the door suggests that Picasso sees it as a portal to doom.
Guernica has come to symbolise military atrocities, to the extent that subsequent attacks around the world are sometimes dubbed 'the new Guernica'. Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, it emerged that a copy of the Guernica painting which had been hanging in the Pentagon had been ordered to be covered up while military planners prepared for the attack (Rowley, 2009). This was taken by many observers to be confirmation of the painting's power to encourage members of the military to recognise the horrors that their actions might unleash. Seventy years after Guernica was bombarded, Picasso's famous painting has helped keep its story alive so that others might have their actions checked.
Picasso’s Guernica is the probably the single most influential and controversial pieces of the 20th century. Most likely the last historical piece of its kind. Actually the only one of its kind. It sets itself apart from the norm of Picasso’s cubism. Although Picasso insisted that the Guernica had nothing to politics or fascism, but “There is a deliberate appeal to the people, a deliberate sense of propaganda.” Many would argue that the painting is the most powerful political work of modern art ever created. He made an anti-war statement through the painting without using bombs or other weapons. Instead he used twisted images of terrified and dismembered bodies surrounding an agonized horse to contradict any ideas the world may have of warfare being heroic. When Picasso was asked to explain the symbolism in the painting he said,”it isn’t up to the painter to define the symbols”.
Cubism gained it name from an art critic by the name of Luis Vauxcelles after Matisse described paintings as consisting of little cubes. Picasso and Georges Braque are the founders of this style of art starting around 1909.
“Those who sacrifice liberty in place of temporary freedom, deserve neither liberty nor freedom”-Benjamin Franklin.
There's an old saying that goes, there is no great art, just great artists. Frida Kahlo proves that an artists' work can stand alone without a wildly interesting biography swallowing up each painting. It's just a matter of taking the time to separate yourself from all the hoopla that may surround an artist and just open your eyes upon their paintings and then reacting to them.
This painting is a self portrait of Frida Kahlo, in two split personalities. The Two Frida's was made in 1939. It is oil on canvas, …show more content…
standing at a height of 5'81/2 square. It is hanging in the Museo de Arte, in Mexico City. There are two Fridas, sitting in adjacent chairs and holding hands, staring back at the viewer. The two Frida's are sitting on a green weaved bench on a brownish smooth floor, and behind them is a painting of blue and gray sky on a wall.
The Two Fridas is a self-portrait containing two women that are symbolic of Frida Kahlo. The women have completely different appearances, but are linked in this picture. The women are sitting side-by-side in identical sitting formation. The two are also physically connected through the connected vein. The surroundings and accessories of the women look to be that of separation and each respective woman’s (or physiological side’s) style. The sky behind the women displays a dark and eerie sky. The woman on the left is wearing a formal white European-style dress. The dress is very proper and has the characteristics of sophisticated attire. The dress is very frilly and has an eloquent pattern on the upper portion of the dress. The dress covers the majority of her body and the woman’s skin is paler than that of the second woman. Both attributes listed above point in the direction of a high-class individual. Another high-class and proper property shown by the woman on the left is her hair and make-up. She has very neat and tied down hair. Her make-up is very accurately and crisply put on. Overall, the woman on the left is very presentable in high-class society. The woman on the right has a very different appearance. This woman has on very casual clothing. She seems to wearing a very informal dress with a long, dirty, and green bottom that is hemmed with a white, stained fabric. The dress seems to be very unkempt and unclean. This shows her less formal side. The top is very loose and stylistically sloppy, and it seems to be untidy as well. Her body language is also more relaxed. She doesn’t seem to be wearing a bra in the picture, so maybe her mood is more relaxed. The woman on the right is also holding a small picture in her hand. The picture is so small that the viewer cannot identify it easily. The face of the woman on the right seems to be dirtier that the left as well. The make-up is essentially vacant from her face and she has upper lip hair growing. Another area of sloppiness is the hairline of the woman on the right. The woman on the left, as pointed out earlier, has a very clean and tidy hairstyle/hairline. The woman on the right, however, has a hairline full of array and discombobulation. There also seems to be juxtaposition with the respective circulatory systems. The woman on the left has a heart with exposed damages and impurities and a pair of scissors cutting one of her veins in half. The woman on the right has a very healthy heart and long flowing veins. Both the women’s veins both lead to each one’s respective hands, but each one has a different object in it (the left having the scissors and the right having the picture). The women are not only linked through the connection of the circulatory systems, but are holding hands. Essentially, this is examining what purpose the artist, Frida Kahlo, has in the details or ‘facts’ displayed in the artwork, The Two Fridas. The facts acquired in the previous paragraph are now analyzed using knowledge and research about the author and painting. As stated in the introduction, Frida Kahlo’s work typically contains bold emotions displayed through the art. The Two Fridas does not stray far from the typical Frida Kahlo painting. Frida starts the boldness instantly with the uncontemporary self-portrait. The self-portrait is of two women; the viewer is already captured by this unique style. Frida seems to show her divided feelings or personalities through her ‘two Fridas’. Frida’s life during the creation of The Two Fridas was very hectic because she was getting a divorce to other well-known Mexican artist, Diego Rivera (About Frida Kahlo’s Art). Her life was a very violent mess at this time. She reportedly still loved him, proven by the fact that they later remarry, providing evidence that there was mixed emotions of the divorce. The violent mess is communicated through the stormy background Frida paints. The storm surrounding her torn feelings is perfectly communicated through this painting. The two women are tied together through obligation (connecting veins) and choice (holding hands). This shows the complexity of Frida’s emotions through very simple details. The stormy background makes it seem like there is a struggle between the two women, and this matches up with the idea of a forced connection with through the circulatory system. If this were the only connection between the two, the emotions would be quite simple. The fact that the women are voluntarily holding hands makes this relationship more complex. The willingness to grasp each other’s hand shows the mixed emotions Frida was feeling at this time. The storm and the two women show that there is a separation, but the connecting veins and hands make it seem like the separation wasn’t exactly wanted. Another interesting aspect of this connection is the focus Frida puts on what each woman has in each respective hand. The woman on the right is holding a picture, and the picture’s content is that of Diego Rivera (Frida Kahlo Paintings). Frida clearly states the two different sides (or women) with this detail. The woman on the right represents a girl who is still in love with Rivera. She has stayed true to her origins in Mexico as a lower class person through her attire and unkempt manner. This woman that loves Rivera is shown as a comfortable woman. The woman on the left is holding a pair of scissors and seems to be keen on causing harm to her circulatory system. The woman may even be trying to rid herself of the pain of being connected to the Frida that loves Rivera. She desperately feels the need to separate from the lifestyle of a loving wife. The scissors are then very necessary for the woman on the left. The scissors are the only way for separation to occur. Frida may have drawn the women to have their most important possessions in their respective hands. The woman on the left values the scissors because it provides an escape from her roots and Rivera’s love. The woman on the right values her husband, Diego Rivera, most. The fact that they are both grabbing each other’s hands shows that they care about each other too much to let the natural desire to separate prevail. This aspect clearly shows the complexity of Frida’s emotions. The woman on the left wants separation, but can’t let go. The woman on the right wants to be free from the sophisticated and independent lifestyle, but can’t give up that quality. Frida Kahlo’s divorce occurred right after her visit to Europe. She observed the proper lifestyle of European ladies (Digital Arts and Sciences Corp., 1998). It seems as though Frida wants to move on to an independent and proper lifestyle, but her love for Rivera lingers. The fact that the women are holding hands shows that Frida’s crossroads in life isn’t clear-cut and involves intense emotions.
Frida Kahlo had a tendency to involve bold details in her artwork. The boldest aspect of this piece is the fact that the circulatory system is exposed. Obviously, normal people do not have exposed circulatory systems, so what is the purpose for including this? Most people associate the circulatory system with vulnerability. Blood is a product of being hurt or damaged, which is a pretty vulnerable activity. The heart is a consistent symbol of raw emotion and love. Frida shows how her exposed heart is a symbol of her exposing her emotions through her painting. The circulatory systems are different between the two women. The woman on the left is bleeding and has a damaged heart. The woman on the right has a healthy heart and veins. As pointed out earlier, the woman on the left is the post-Rivera, independent, and European Frida. The damaged heart of this Frida could mean multiple things. The damage could mean that she has been damaged from the divorce with Rivera. It could also mean that it hurts her to separate from the original Frida. Either way, Frida Kahlo shows her true emotions during the time period because of the damaged heart. Through this, Frida shows that the Frida at the time of the painting was the one on the left. Frida Kahlo would never have painted The Two Fridas if she were completely fine. The painting shows her emotion crossroads and the storm going on inside of her, and her heart would never be intact during that mess. She also indicates that she carries the pain with her everywhere through the bloodstains on the dress. This is also another reason she keeps the circulatory systems connected. Frida identifies herself as the woman on the left, but she is still connected to the other, and the other connected to her. This is where Frida shows that she is still in love with Rivera at the time after the divorce. The vein of the woman on the right leads straight to the picture of Rivera. Even though Frida is the woman on the left at this time, she is still connected to Rivera through her blood and through her heart. The circulatory system is another example of how Frida Kahlo uses a bold style to communicate complex emotions.
The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo is a great piece of artwork to be a critic for. It provides very unique and bold visual aspects that translate to deep and intense emotional expressions. Frida shows her true brilliance and complexity through the two-person self-portrait. Frida displays the intense emotions involved with the crossroad in her life through her unique style and boldness. Overall, the piece was very thought provoking and provided perspective to embrace all types of expression. The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo truly is a piece of art.
One such painting, “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird,” is a depiction of Kahlo’s life at one point in time. It shows the artist wearing a thorn necklace with a hummingbird hanging from the necklace; the painting also has a black cat behind the artist’s left shoulder and a black baby monkey behind the artist’s right shoulder. In the background, there are many dark colored leaves to cover the whole area in the back with one yellow leaf behind Kahlo’s head. The painter portrays these objects as a symbolic meaning to an emotion or event in her life.
This painting shows Kahlo with a dead hummingbird hanging like a charm from her thorn necklace. The bird's dark wings mimic Frida Kahlo's trademark dark eyebrows. Mexican culture attributes luck in love to these dead birds. At the time this portrait was painted, Frida was going through yet another painful ordeal with her husband, which in itself may be seen as a theme in her work
“Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird” is showing her suffering and her hope that she has in her life. Every single object in this painting has some symbolic meaning which represents something about the artist. Remember, not all of Kahlo’s paintings are going to be about her suffering and hope; it will be about her emotions at some point in her life. Every artist has their own style of expressing themselves through different creations of art; keep an open mind.
In Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, Kahlo mixes indigenous Aztec tradition with Christian imagery. The thorn necklace echoes Christ's Crown of Thorns while at the same echoes Aztec practices where priests performed self-mutilation with agave thorns and stingray spines. The dead hummingbird is sacred to the chief god of Tenochtitlan, Huitzilopichtli, the god of sun and of war. The fearful Aztec goddess Coatlicue wears a necklace of skull.
The monkey was her beloved pet and then the cat, it was kind of like the devil and the angel sitting on her shoulders, and the cat really wanted to eat the hummingbird, which it said was the symbol of love in Latin American countries. And the monkey was just toying with her necklace. I really liked the detail and the symmetry, and the colors were so vivid against the background…the lush green and the purples were so bright, they just jumped out.
The focal point of the artwork is her face, which is established by placement, contrast and line. The monobrow is vertically centred and almost horizontally in the middle. The black colouring of the monobrow is sharply contrasted against the paler, reddish-brown colour of her skin. The hummingbird at the bottom not only “points” upwards to the face, but has also been cleverly manipulated to imitate Kahlo’s brow, drawing further attention to her facial features. From the monobrow, the eye then travels back down to the hummingbird, then back towards the cloth crown and butterflies.
The bold contrasting use of colour emphasizes Kahlo’s monobrow, eyes and hair, making her appear quite solemn. The use of tone adds shadows under her eyes, creating the feel of sadness and tiredness. Emphasis on Kahlo’s brow and eyes make her eyes soulful in appearance, which captivates the viewer’s attention, causing them to scrutinise the painting. Keeping the painting balanced by positioning the monkey and cat over the shoulders create three balanced sections, keeping the focus on the figure.
Symbolism plays a huge role in all of Kahlo’s work, and without her use of symbols many of her works would be absent of emotions and any deeper meaning. A dead hummingbird, a necklace of thorns, butterflies and dragonflies and a monobrow are all used in “Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird and Unibrow.” Hummingbirds are a traditional Mexican symbol of good luck, and are ironically used in reference to her unfortunate life, and to her Mexican heritage. The thorn necklace represents Christ’s unravelled crown of thorns, marking Frida’s Christianity, whilst the dragonflies and butterflies symbolise the Resurrection. The exaggerated beard and monobrow are political statements towards feminism as in western culture they are seen as undesirable and so are purposely emphasized.
Kahlo’s painting was created in Mexico 1940, a time of great economical and political change in Mexico. Kahlo was a nationalist but avant-garde representational artist in the era of surrealism, and her paintings have been described as a combination of surrealism, symbolism, and realism. (Frida Kahlo, 2007) The aim of surrealism was to unleash the “deep layer” of the human mind where memories and the most basic instincts are stored, and to revive the “unconscious” mind and reconcile it with rational life. Kahlo unconsciously utilized the first images, thoughts, and desires that crossed her mind. (Hernandez, 2007, Frida-Kahlo, The Surrealist?)
In her art, Kahlo interpreted these themes in a symbolic manner to express and understand the tragedy of her life. It was only after a horrendous vehicle accident when she was eighteen that she started most of her artwork, to channel her pain into something expressive, an outlet of her experiences. Kahlo’s work went beyond the limits of reality. She transferred every thought into her painting, and demonstrated that her life revolved around pain and horror. (Brown, 2002, Frida Kahlo- an Amazing Woman) Her painting reflects Mexican culture through the traditional flat, two-dimensional figures. The political and gender-based message of feminism and nationalism is shown through the unconventional exaggeration of her monobrow and moustache.
Suffering and pain may be shown through facial expressions or through the objects in the painting. As stated in the title of the self-portrait, the thorn necklace is wrapped around her neck, puncturing little holes in her neck. This is a symbol of pain and suffering just as Christ was in pain wearing the thorn crown. As the blood is dripping down from her punctured wounds on her neck, Kahlos facial expression is so discreet that it does not seem like she is in pain; as if the artist wanted to appear strong and unbreakable while keeping all the pain and suffering inside. The artist may be suffering on the inside, but she likes to have a little bit of hope on the outside as well.
Pablo Picasso was probably the most famous artist of the twentieth century.
During his artistic career, which lasted more than 75 years, he created thousands of works, not only paintings but also sculptures, prints, and ceramics, using all kinds of materials. He almost single-handedly created modern art. He changed art more profoundly than any other artist of this century because he was an inspiration.
The influence of Pablo Picasso on art can be measured via the enduring fame of the man; he remains, arguably, the most famous artist since Michelangelo, more celebrated than Duschamp, Monet or Cezanne. He was a legend during his own lifetime, the celebrated Salvador Dalí citing Picasso as, “his hero, and to be taken seriously by him [Picasso], a sort of right of passage.”
His private life and professional life merged more than most famous artists. Bar for a small period towards the end of his life, Picasso was free from the scandal that accompanied the legends of Matisse, Van Gogh or Manet, for instance. Art was always his first mistress, although more than most other artists, Picasso drew from the experiences which touched him in his personal life to inspire his creative
output.
Pablo Picasso's 1937 painting Guernica is renowned as one of the world's most famous anti-war pieces of art, and was painted explicitly to protest against the bombing of Guernica in Spain by German and Italian fighter planes. Following completion of the painting later that year, Picasso allowed it to go on a brief world tour, his aim being to ensure that people all around the globe would be aware of the horrors being carried out in Spain. Picasso was strongly against the fascists in the Civil War, and Guernica remains not only his most overt anti-war statement, but one of the most well known anti-war statements of all time.
The bombing of Guernica had been requested by the Spanish Nationalists during the Spanish Civil War, and was seen by many as one of the most horrific uses of brutal force during the conflict. Guernica was a small village of just a few thousand citizens. Most were women and children, because the men were away fighting. The bombing was therefore more of an attempt at intimidation than an attack with real strategic value. Estimates of the number of dead range from 400-500 up to 1,600, with the former being considered today to be more accurate.
Regardless of the number of casualties, however, the impact of the Guernica bombing was substantial: it demonstrated once and for all the cooperation between German, Italian and Spanish fascist groups, and it also convinced the rest of the world that the German Luftwaffe was committed to terror bombings of the type. The impact during the subsequent World War 2 was considerable, as Guernica was one of the key events that shaped the Allied analysis of German aerial combat tactics.
In the centre, a horse can be made out, but there are other, hidden images present too, including a human skull and another bull. The spear that has run through the horse and caused it so much pain creates a gaping wound that dominates much of the rest of the scene. It is also important to recognise that the action seems to be taking place in a room, at least on the left side, while a burning building is visible on the right. Picasso's intention appears to be to place this carnage both inside and outside, and to show how it brings man down to the level of beasts. The bull on the left is the crucial link between the human and animal aspects of war, as it stops to consider the pain of the grieving woman just as the other pull gores the horse.
The lightbulb in the sun, at the top of the painting, symbolises the hopelessness of man's attempt to appeal to God for help. Picasso is showing how God is simply another manmade items, like a lightbulb, and there is no promise of deliverance from the horrific scene that is unfolding. Meanwhile a woman seems to float through a window with a flame held up, but the look of horror on her face clearly shows that she was not prepared for the scene that she is now witnessing. Again, Picasso appears to be showing the lack of hope present in this scene. It is clear, overall, that the painting was completed when Picasso was at a low ebb, uncertain whether Spain would ever recover from the horrors of its war.
The right of the painting is perhaps the most conventional, featuring as it does a human figure wracked with pain and on fire. This is a less symbolic and more realistic portrayal of another part of the horrors of war, with flames surrounding the figure and, to the extreme right of the canvas, a dark door opening. There are different interpretations of this door. Some see it as the only hope for those trapped in the painting, as if they can still escape. Others see it as an ominous sign, a doorway to nothingness and a sign that Picasso believes the conflict will lead only to destruction. It is possible to see the door as both simultaneously, offering an equal chance of either oblivion or salvation. However, the bleakness of the view through the door suggests that Picasso sees it as a portal to doom.
Guernica has come to symbolise military atrocities, to the extent that subsequent attacks around the world are sometimes dubbed 'the new Guernica'. Shortly after the invasion of Iraq, it emerged that a copy of the Guernica painting which had been hanging in the Pentagon had been ordered to be covered up while military planners prepared for the attack (Rowley, 2009). This was taken by many observers to be confirmation of the painting's power to encourage members of the military to recognise the horrors that their actions might unleash. Seventy years after Guernica was bombarded, Picasso's famous painting has helped keep its story alive so that others might have their actions checked.
Picasso’s Guernica is the probably the single most influential and controversial pieces of the 20th century. Most likely the last historical piece of its kind. Actually the only one of its kind. It sets itself apart from the norm of Picasso’s cubism. Although Picasso insisted that the Guernica had nothing to politics or fascism, but “There is a deliberate appeal to the people, a deliberate sense of propaganda.” Many would argue that the painting is the most powerful political work of modern art ever created. He made an anti-war statement through the painting without using bombs or other weapons. Instead he used twisted images of terrified and dismembered bodies surrounding an agonized horse to contradict any ideas the world may have of warfare being heroic. When Picasso was asked to explain the symbolism in the painting he said,”it isn’t up to the painter to define the symbols”.
Cubism gained it name from an art critic by the name of Luis Vauxcelles after Matisse described paintings as consisting of little cubes. Picasso and Georges Braque are the founders of this style of art starting around 1909.
“Those who sacrifice liberty in place of temporary freedom, deserve neither liberty nor freedom”-Benjamin Franklin.
There's an old saying that goes, there is no great art, just great artists. Frida Kahlo proves that an artists' work can stand alone without a wildly interesting biography swallowing up each painting. It's just a matter of taking the time to separate yourself from all the hoopla that may surround an artist and just open your eyes upon their paintings and then reacting to them.