Quote: “art corroded and destroyed by politics; politics smothered and sweetened by art” by Frida Kahlo and Tina Modotti.
“ In the 2 Fridas, she painted her own double identity. The European Frida in white and the American Frida in a traditional dress.Yet the duality she felt in herself and in Mexico also offered the hope of a new hybrid synthesis of her cultural and personal opposite” By Frida Kahlo document.
Comment: These 3 artists all have a common connection with being torn between their Mexican and their american heritage.Their identity being split in half and making it harder for them to know who they really are. They used the same idea of self portraits to express their identity, but they did it in different ways. Frida created self portraits out of paintings. She used Mexican cultured themes such as using skulls and flowers as a symbol to remember the dead. She also gave her Mexican side and american side different colors to show each side of her identity. She used white dresses when she showed her Mexican side and traditional colored dresses when showing her american side. Tina uses film photography to show her point of view on the world. She shows her perspective on how culture forms and changes. She took photos of old school entertainment such as puppets and dolls. She even photographed the manufacturing industry in how the factories looked at specific shots.These various shot angles helped show and portray her point of view on things. Aguilar used her own body to portray her art. She posed nude and used the traditional theme of the dead like Frida to show her Mexican heritage. But her style of portraits helped express her identity, such as her sexuality, race, culture, and to overcome her dyslexia.
If you were an artist, how would you portray yourself in a self portrait?
