Research Paper On Frida Kahlo

Born in Coyocoán, Mexico City, Mexico, on July 6, 1907. By the name of Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón as stated on her birth certificate (Frida Kahlo Biography, 2017). Considerate one of Mexico’s greatest artists, Frida Kahlo painted over one-hundred and forty-three works of arts were fifty-five are self-portraits. Through their paints many artists express their ideas and feeling and Frida was not the exception. As show by two of her art pieces, Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress (Figure 1), and The Broken Column (Figure 2).
Frida Kahlo’s first paining was Self Portrait in a Velvet Dress in 1926. Kahlo painted it while she was in bed after a car accident. In this piece, one of the first thing one can notices is the use of dark colors
in the background. In contrasts with the bright skin color that seen to gleam in the darkness. One can also see the use of organic shapes, unity and variety in the painting. In the obscure background one can distinguish what looks to be the ocean; the disturb ocean forms big spiral shape waves. The floral adornment imprinted in the dress’s lapel creates variety and texture in the part of the dress and in piece of art as a whole. It can be assumed that there is an asymmetrical balance between her hand and the lonely cloud in the left top corner.
As motioned before, this piece was created after a tragically car accident that left Frida in bed for of weeks.
When Frida finished the piece, she gave it to Alejandro Gonzales Areas, her romantic partner at the moment, as a way to keep her in mind (FridaKahlo.org). The painting uses a dark tone background contrasted by the gleam of Frida’s skin. The use of the dark background could be a result of a psychological trauma after the car accident. Dark colors are often associate with: depressing, pessimistic, and aloof traits. After an accident as the one she was in, it could be possible that unconsciously Frida developed those feeling for a period of time. However, the bright contrast of her presents in the painting suggest that consciously she had a positive attitude. She portrayed herself, proud of her beauty and youth, in a very attractive and seductive way. Even though, her relationship was going for its best moment before the accident and after it she had major factures that would change her life from that moment
on.
Almost two decades after her first portrait, Frida painted The Broken Column. In this piece, she used more bright colors. In the composition appears to be a bright day on the shore of a lake. The landscape has irregular organic patters that contract with the repetition of the medical brace’s horizontal strips around her torso. The wool piece implies the movement, as if the air were blowing to the left. The use of directional forces directs one’s attention into the painting two different ways. If one starts observing the piece from bottom to top, one’s attention directed to the wool and slowly going up through the broken column until all the attention is the face. But if one starts from top to bottom one passes through the same spots but one’s attention goes out fallowing the breeze the blows the wool. This portrait has three focal points, the uterus, heart, and main focal point is in the face. All spots that one passes through fallowing directional forces line.
The emphasis of this piece in to express emotions and it does a good job at it.
At this point is her life, Frida has had many tragedies occur to her. From the previously mention car accident, left by her romantic partner, divorce and re-married to Diego Rivera, to losing three pregnancies (Sassan Cheng, 2014). One can theorize, that this piece is an analogy to all the tragedies she has gone through. Prorating herself with her torso naked represents her openness and vulnerability she feels. The broken column references to her first lifechanging event, the car accident in which she broke her column. Her whole upper body is cover in nails referencing to all her pains and deceptions, but there a couple of spots, refence previously, where the nails are lager. One of this spots is the abdomen or where the uterus with a developed baby would be, the bigger scale of the nails at this point reference to her three fail pregnancies. The nails in her heart reference her damage feelings in love, cheated by her husband multiple times. Lastly, her face the main focal point. Letting her tears fall down her face she seems to look straight at us with an expression resignation and deep sadness in her
eyes.
These to pieces may look very different at first but they also have some similarities one identify if looked closely. They both are a have body self-portraits where her face is slightly facing to the right. One can theorize that she painted herself in the same place. In both pieces one can see the sky and a large body of water in the background. In Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress, the body of water appears notoriously bigger than in other painting. Water could symbolize her innocence, in the first painting one can observe a huge body of water full of movement and life. In contrast The Broken Column, show a smaller and far behind body of water cause by all the bad and tragic experiences she has lived. Both painting illustrates the deep feelings and tragic life of a great artist.