Though at the peak of her artistic career, Frida Kahlo, took her work in a direction which led to many notable achievements, it wasn’t until much later after her death when her work and life made her an important role model as an inspiring figure, both in the art community and as an icon of growing feminism. Perhaps the most significant cause of an increasing interest in her life and artistic work had much to do with the artist’s personal struggles, which she often bravely depicted in several self-portraits.
According to several biographical accounts of her life, Frida faced many hurdles to becoming the inspiration of strength as she is seen today. When she was about six years old, she was diagnosed with Polio, which left one of her legs considerably thinner than the other, and consequently she walked with an obvious limp – a minimal but permanent deficit. At only 18, Frida suffered a terrible accident leaving her seriously injured and causing her to endure a life of constant pain and other health ailments. She reportedly underwent over 30 surgeries in her lifetime due to the health problems she suffered. After marrying later in life, her relationship and marriage to husband and fellow artist, Diego Rivera, was reportedly riddled with strife and heartbreak having apparently split up after she had been unfaithful; though there are claims that the struggles within the marriage were due to mutual undoing and that they had lived together but in separate living quarters, after later getting married for the second time.
Quote #1 :
“They thought I was a Surrealist but I wasn’t. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.”
While Frida’s health was an ongoing issue for her, on several occasions it proved to be of no consequence to her when it came to her work and career as an artist. She apparently even once showed up for an exhibit in an ambulance and attended the event, smiling and socializing while the entire time under medical care. Likewise, even periods where she was reportedly bed-ridden did not slow her work or prevent her from continuing to produce more of her paintings. Despite being armed with a will made of iron, her health issues did eventually result in the amputation of one of her legs / right foot which led to a constant battle with depression and several suicide attempts in the later part of her life.
Quote #2 :
“I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best”
Beyond her personal as well as physical struggles, which hardly account for the depth of their impact on her life as noted here, she was also notoriously courageous in her artistic work and known by her peers for her willingness to shamelessly express her opinions, and beliefs. She was actively involved in political movements and made several contributions and appearances to political events as an activist – characteristics and intentions, which were uncommon in her time for a woman.
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Many of her more personal tastes were considered unique if not odd in general. For example, Frida was said to have thought that the unibrow was a timeless trait and a characteristic of pure beauty, thus explaining why she often painted unibrows on the people she painted in her portraits. The liaisons she is said to have had with lovers while married to Diego were also considered controversial, not just because of what defines adultery but because it is believed she had affairs with both men and women, a topic not at all widely discussed let alone accepted then.
While according to my research, some of the minor details of these accounts differ ever-so-slightly, one could yet understand why Frida Kahlo has become such an important figure as you can immediately observe the intense and distinct qualities of her personality in her artwork. It is not so hard to understand as well where the inspiration gained from her life and symbolism comes from. After-all, one could say she lived her life struggling with many of the things our society continues to face hurdles from: disability, and the lack of social acceptance the disabled are subjected to; being a women and not just that but of two minorities as a Latin American woman, and the controversial aspects of her private life which were heavily criticized at the time, and are still considered subjects of great speculation and interest.
Quote #3 :
“The only thing I know, is that I paint because I need to and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration.”
Even so, Frida Kahlo rose to the occasion as an artist and activist. Her work is now widely appreciated and even a few poets today have accomplished well-read written works about her, such as the poem, Frida Kahlo to Marty McConnell, by Marty McConnell (Salt Hill Journal).
If anyone doesn’t find any of this mind blowing by this point, then perhaps they do not know how hard it is just to be an artist alone. Although I personally am not influenced by any prominent feminists beliefs today, nor am I one you’d find spitting fire in a heated political debate – to be sure, I would have liked to have met Frida Kahlo and I am undoubtedly one of many. Regardless of a passion for art, or any other personal belief, I myself adore her for the universal message hiding amongst all those dominant convictions.
I love that she embraced all the odd and quirky little eccentricities of our nature and was unafraid to explore as well as voice them both literally and in her art. I love that what was considered the norm by popular society as anything but lovely, was to Frida, just beautiful. I love that she was seemingly determined to be herself, however controversial or unaccepted it meant her life would be considered to others. I love that both in her work as well as in the portrayal of her life, she consistently conveyed a message about how all we are is human.
Frida Kahlo and the inspiration her life and art offers us today, is this week’s subject of our first Series of Prompts in Prompts & Circumstance
Now, here is your really cool list of prompts…
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Think about how Frida must have felt growing up as someone whose leg was left slightly deformed from illness, and then to have to be amputated later in life. Is there a time when you yourself felt like giving up? Looking back on that time, do you think you can relate with Frida – what would you have done in her shoes? Write it.
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From quote #1: People thought Frida was a surrealist painter because her paintings so often depicted the abstract portrayal of dream-like scenes, but she was really using symbolism to convey rather brutally the truth of what she was going through in her life… are you a surrealist? Do you paint or write what’s real or what is made up? For this prompt we’re going to ask you to do the opposite. If you typically write a lot of fiction, try writing a true story, memoir, or a work of creative-nonfiction. If you are a painter who tends to do a lot of landscapes or work from photographs, try simply painting something right out of your imagination. In both instances, attempt to use metaphor, symbolism and descriptive language to convey the imagery and message you want the work to give.
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Frida and Diego’s marriage has been described as both rocky and painful and some have even suggested it was mostly one that existed for companionship – that they never really loved one another, but kept going back to each other because they understood each other. We’ve all experienced troubled relationships, lost loves or loves that never were. Maybe we’ve even experienced relationships where we felt stuck or living a lie, or maybe that just kept going because we didn’t want to be alone. For this prompt, you’ll need to be really honest – shamelessly honest with yourself, much like Frida was unafraid to give her point of view. Write a love poem or story using any experience with a struggled love – be as honest as you can be, make it a confession, or just an open letter to yourself. Even better, be so honest it dares to surprise even you. If it helps write it in third person making one of the characters, You.
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Choose one of Frida’s paintings and try to identify what was happening in her life at the time (without looking it up). Write the story, or write a poem describing what was happening.
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From quote #2: I think self-portraits are really hard, but Frida painted them all the time. Today taking pictures of ourselves is very popular and we’ve even now applied the term selfie to photos we take of ourselves. Frida painted herself and claimed to know herself well though many claims about her have said that she had opposing traits, even conflicting personalities: Diego loved her for the traditions she kept – the traditional dresses from Mexico she wore and other characteristics of her heritage, which she liked and therefore continued on throughout her life. But she was also a rule breaker, an extremely independent, free-thinker who spoke out on many things she felt strongly about and she didn’t care if other women didn’t, or if she was alone. She was on one hand very set in old traditions and values she grew up with and yet a completely radical individual when it came to other things she valued. Some might argue that we all have similar paradoxes. Use Frida as the inspiration to discovering your own. Write about it – what are they? Paint your own portrait and emphasize characteristics that are unique to you.
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Read the poem, “Frida Kahlo to Marty McConnell,” by Marty McConnell. Write your own letter to Frida, or a poem. What would you have liked to say to her? When I did this prompt, I was surprised to learn that I was angry with her for wanting to give up later – after everything she’d accomplished; after all that she stood for… and I felt bad about it. I mean I can’t really imagine how I would deal with having my leg cut off, so why was I so angry? Try to think about what you feel about her when you are writing. If you would rather not write to Frida, choose another artist or writer who matters to you and whose life and work you know about. What would you tell them if you could?
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Frida’s popularity today is in part because of her widely known interest in political movements. She had a voice and was not afraid to use it. Some would suggest she was not willing to be silenced. Think about what you would like your personal message to be as an artist or a writer. What do you stand for? If your work could later be appreciated for its vital message or impact on society, what would you hope your work would achieve? What do you hope you work will do, for who, and why? Write about it any way you want. You can write an artists statement, or tell the story of what happens – set in the future as if you are already dead – tell it in addition to the story of your life as if it is a biographical account. Tell the story of what is so meaningful to your creative purpose.
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Using quote #3: Free-write, or Free-create. Go wherever you go to create whether its write, paint, cook – it doesn’t matter and just go – no thinking, drafting, sketching, or measuring – just do it. For at least 20 minutes, let it all pour out. If you need to, try sitting first in a quiet room for 5 to 10 minutes to clear your mind of whatever is going on. If you can’t find the time or the quiet then consider this: how many times have you driven somewhere and when you got there, really did not remember driving there – you were off in another world the whole time and can’t even remember which turns you made to get where you are. You were on auto-pilot, its an automatic response, so your subconscious took over while you were deep in thought. We do this all the time. All you need to do is let yourself go, you can train your mind to do this for whatever you need it to and free-writing helps along with all the awesome creative benefits. Let Frida be your inspiration. Be conscious of any thoughts that push your ideas away so you can gently clear your head again – there is nothing holding you back, nothing you cannot say – so let it out.
These prompts were created by us, for you, but we are always open to more suggestions. If you’d like to share anything you write or create using any of the prompts listed, please feel free to add the link in the comments or email it to us. We may even publish it for our readers but no matter what we will definitely read it. Have fun!
Bibliography
- “Frida Kahlo,” The Biography.com website, http://www.biography.com/people/frida-kahlo-9359496(accessed Feb 11 2015).
- “Self-Portrait With Monkey” Wikipedia website, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-Portrait_with_Monkey(accessed Feb 11 2015).
- “The Life & Times of Frida Kahlo” PBS website, http://www.pbs.org/weta/fridakahlo/today/index.html(accessed Feb 11 2015).
- Source: Kahlo, Frida, Photograph, from Encyclopædia Britannica Online, accessed January 14, 2015, http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/media/154414/Frida-Kahlo-1941
[Featured] Image Credit: Frida Kahlo, 1941
George Eastman House / Hulton Archive / Getty Images
Snapping Twig 
Love this. Well done! 🙂
Thank you so much for saying – really glad you liked it.