Kahlo's Autobiography In Paint example essay topic

Preliminary Sketch: Introduction Many see Frida Kahlo as a person plagued by, but defiant of death. 1 The only influence in her work, it seems, is pain. Hers is tragic painting, always related to her inner life, pursued by two or three primordial, refined, and bloody obsessions, with bitter delectation's of pain, to free herself from it, and to exalt life. The authenticity of the feeling, of the anguish, is so patent that it created the language for her tortured monologue. Without her work, which was her daily resurrection, Frida Kahlo would have drowned in her own eyes. 2 "I paint my own reality", she said.

"The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint always what passes through my head, without any other consideration". 3 What passed through Frida Kahlo's head and into her art was some of the most original and dramatic imagery of the twentieth century. Painting herself bleeding, weeping, cracked open, she transmuted her pain into art with remarkable frankness tempered by humour and fantasy. 4 Andr'e Breton once described Kahlo's work as containing "that drop of cruelly and humour uniquely capable of blending the rare affective powers that compound together to form the philtres which is Mexico's secret".

5 Always specific and personal, deep-probing rather than comprehensive in scope, Kahlo's autobiography in paint has a peculiar intensity and strength. 6 One is struck by the intensity of her appetite for life - her will not simply to endure but to enjoy. One is also struck by her plaintive loneliness and the omnipresence of pain, and the way she uses these. 7 The above suggests some rather interesting points which will be discussed in greater detail in this analysis.

First, there is an allusion to Kahlo's life of torment and to her autobiography in paint, the latter of which sustained her from day to day. It would be senseless to comment on Kahlo's art without knowing something of her life. For this reason, therefore, this analysis will also provide a brief discussion of the unfortunate circumstances which led her to choose the occupation that would eventually reshape her life. Poliomyelitis, various illnesses, and the turning point: a traffic accident in September of 1925 in which she was literally impaled by a metal handrail.

Consequently, starting from 1925, her life was a difficult struggle against a slow decline and a life tormented by a fear of death. Nevertheless, her work, which will also be discussed in detail, expresses her attempts to liberate herself from pain and anguish, not only to endure life, but also to exalt it, enjoy it, and to address themes of particular interest to women in general and to Kahlo in particular. Kahlo's themes - frustrated dreams of motherhood, jealousy, lust, pain, sexuality - are not always represented in her paintings through conventional means. Rather, Kahlo discloses herself to reveal her entrails as symbols of her feelings. She deliberately manipulates gender roles and opposes the fixed limits of identity and self. Thus, Kahlo succeeded in piquing the interest of contemporary artists and particularly the interest of those who, influenced by conceptual art, use images as signs.

Finally, this analysis will look at Kahlo's influence on the artists of today. To this end, we will closely examine the Madonna / Kahlo connection: it is interesting to study the ways in which each of these artists takes control of her body to dramatize those ideological questions tied to gender representation, how each questions the social parameters of acceptable sexual behaviour, how each manipulates cultural icons, and how each defines religious iconography to redefine her own identity. Through this example, one comes to understand the manner in which Kahlo was able to redefine where the fine line is drawn between arts and culture on the one hand, and the media on the other. She did this in such a way as to become a celebrity of contemporary culture.