In this article, you shall learn all about Who is Frida Kahlo? Her biography and more. Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist. She was generously known for her uncompromising and brilliant self-portraits that wrap topics such as individuality, the human body, and demise. Although she denies the relationship, she is often identified as a surrealist. Kahlo, in addition to her work, was also known for her marriage with painter Diego Rivera. She married Diego in 1929 and divorced in 1939.
Frida was born in a village on the outskirts of Mexico City in 1907. Wilhelm, a German photographer, was her father who moved to Mexico in 1891. There he met Frida’s mother, Matilde, and married her. Matilde was a very religious woman, and Frida’s upbringing was very strict. Frida was very near to her father and spent days assisting him in his photo studio. There she fell in love with art. But even though she liked to help her father and even took drawing lessons from a family friend, she never gave it much thought. Rather, she was captivated by biology and science and wished to one day evolving as a doctor. In recent times, she is one of the most iconic artists. She has a life story that is virtually as popular as her art. So read on to find out more about Who is Frida Kahlo.
Who is Frida Kahlo: Her Early Life
Frida Kahlo was caught up with a virus when she was six years old, which made her right leg thinner and shorter than her left. Due to this illness, Frida had to take months off from school. When she returned to class after a long absence, the other kids bullied her because she was now limping. But Frida’s father is there to help her daughter return from her illness.
When Frida was 18 years old, she was traveling with her boyfriend in a wooden bus when it hit a tram. Frida nearly died on impact when the iron railing pierced her thigh and out the other side. Although eventually recovered, she underwent 35 operations. Frida’s long recovery, however, was when she started painting. She sat on her bed facing east, mainly painting self-portraits and looking at herself in the mirror on the other side of the room.
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Frida Kahlo’s Career As An Artist:
After the incident, Frida Kahlo turned her attention away from medical school to pursue a full-time career as a painter. The accident caused excruciating pain as she recovered in a full-body cast. She painted to pass her time in her temporary immobility. Her self-portrait evolved as a prominent part of her life as she stayed motionless for three months after the accident. Frida Kahlo once said: “I paint myself because I am often alone and the subject I know best.” One of her most famous paintings, The Broken Column, shows how her broken spine looks like an earthquake. She had made 143 paintings, out of which 55 are self-portraits. The painting often includes figurative images of physical and psychological injuries.
Frida Kahlo’s Wedding:
In 1927, when she was 20 years old, Frida adored the work of the popular Mexican artist Diego Rivera for several years. When she finally met him, despite the 20 year age difference, the two quickly fell in love, which led to Diego leaving his second wife and marrying Frida in 1929.
Frida’s 10-year marriage to Diego was tumultuous, and they both had many affairs. Diego even had an affair with Frida’s younger sister Christina, which infuriated her! In 1939, they divorced, and a year later remarried. Although her second marriage was as difficult as her first, Frieda remained married until her death.
Frida Kahlo’s Death:
A few days before Frida Kahlo’s death on July 13, 1954, she wrote in her diary: “I hope the results are pleasant – and I hope I will never return – Frida.” Pulmonary Embolism is the official cause of her, although some suggest casualty by overdose, which may or may not have been unexpected. The year before, she was seriously ill, and her right leg was amputated due to gangrene in the knee. After Frida’s death, the rise of feminism in the 1970s made Frida a feminist and LGBTQ icon. Her life, including a bus accident, a messy marriage, infidelity, heavy alcohol, and drug use, has inspired many books and films over the years, including the 2002 biographical film Frida starring Salma Hayek.
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