Guest Post Famous Woman Artist Frida Kahlo

Today please welcome guest blogger Miriam Schulman:

This post is part of my "Famous Women Artists" series where I turn the spotlight on different women artists on my blog. Blenda has asked me to focus on painter Frida Kahlo this week.

The Art of Self-Portraiture

Frida Kahlo is best known for her self-portraits. She began painting after a car accident forced her into long periods of physical immobilization. Kahlo used a specialized easel that allowed her to paint in bed, and she chose herself as her main subject since she was so often alone. Her self-portraits follow Italian Renaissance ideals of an elongated neck and slender face. Kahlo is praised by modern Feminists for her resolute depictions of herself and her real experience as a woman. She painted the world as she saw it, never conforming to male ideas of how a woman "should" act or look. 

The artist, Frida Kahlo, shot by Guillermo Kahlo (1932)

 

Mexican Heritage

Self Portrait with Monkey (1938)

Frida Kahlo was born in a small town outside Mexico City, and her heritage played a large role in many of her paintings. Ideas from Mexican mythology, like the symbolic monkey seen in both Self-Portrait with Monkey and Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, and traditional religious themes feature prominently in her work. Kahlo formed a relationship with Mexican painter Diego Rivera, who she later married and lived with in her home "La Casa Azul." Rivera recognized Kahlo's talent and encouraged her to paint, even though their marriage eventually took a troubled turn.

Samples of Her Artwork

Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940)

Short PBS Documentary on Frida Kahlo:

"Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing."

~Frida Kahlo

 

The Two Fridas (1939)

Current Exhibitions of Frida Kahlo's Paintings Around the World:

• (Upcoming) The Complete Frida Kahlo: Her Paintings, Her Life, Her Story; South Shore Arts; Munster, Indiana; November 16, 2014 - January 25, 2015
• Frida Kahlo's Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird; Harry Ransom Center; Austin Texas; September 4, 2014 - March 31, 2015
• Frida Kahlo Collection at the MoMA; New York; Always on view

Miriam Schulman embraces her creative life with wholeheartedness in Scarsdale, New York. Miriam studied art history at Dartmouth College and abandoned a career in finance to work on her art full time. Her watercolor and mixed-media paintings have been seen on NBC, and published in art magazines and home decor books. In addition, the Hudson River Museum and Katonah Museum of Art carry her artistic accessories in their gift shops. Discover her watercolor and art journaling secrets in her inspiring online classes at http://theinspirationplace.net.  Miriam also prepared a special giveaway for my readers. You can download her free decorating ebook: How to Choose the Best Colors for your Home