#mexicanidad

[theinternetisaweboflies]

Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and Mexican Modernism at the Portland Art Museum

February 23, 2022

Part 1 of 4 (2, 3, 4)

[soniartem]

Female identity and Frida Kahlo.

Frida Kahlo , ‘Las Dos Fridas’ (The Two Fridas) , Oil on Canvas, 1939 (1.73 m x 1.73 m)

Frida Kahlo is seen as a feminist icon and great artist all over the world. Her painting ‘The Two Fridas’, is one of many paintings that explores her identity as a female. Kahlo often includes the notion of gender in her work, exploring her femininity as well as masculinity and her Mexican and European genetics, with her Father being European and Mother Mexican. These factors shaped her work in a unique way which she expressed through the medium of painting. 

‘The Two Frida’s’ depicts two versions of Frida sitting and holding hands. They both have the same facial expressions and are identical twins however are wearing different things. One Frida wears a modern white wedding dress, which would have been worn in Europe in the 1930’s-40’s with embroidered flowers and delicate lace work around the neck, reflecting her Father’s side. The second Frida wears a traditional Tehuana Zapotec costume from the Oaxaca area of Mexico with vibrant colours which reflects her Mother’s side. There is a stormy sky in the background similar to the stormy skies of El Greco’s work and both Frida’s have an exposed heart connected by an open artery.

‘The Two Fridas’ was painted the year of her divorce with Diego Riviera, with whom she shared a tumultuous relationship. In the same year, in 1939, Frida was also gaining popularity all over the world, exhibiting in New York and Paris. The painting portrays the difficult time of Frida’s divorce but also reveals her identity as a Mexican and European woman at the same time. Kahlo aimed to show her two sides in the painting, the side of her that Diego loved and the one he didn’t.

Traditional Mexican attire became Kahlo’s trademark. She dressed this way to reflect her involvement with the post-revolutionary Mexicanidad movement which fought to redefine Mexican identity and to also reflect her identity as a Mexican Woman. It portrays Frida’s heartbreak and vulnerability, which can be seen through her exposed hearts. Frida said, “(the painting, ‘The Two Fridas’ is a) representation of my loneliness. What I meant to say is I resorted to myself; I sought my own help”. In a time where patriarchy still played a huge role in society, the dependence of women on men was expected and women in art were not taken seriously, Frida did not depend on her husband Diego to become famous. Although her divorce left her feeling broken it is evident that it also led Frida to discovering independence and uncovering more about her female identity. The artery runs from the left hand of the Mexican Frida to the left hand of the European Frida where she tried to stem the flow of blood from the artery. However, with little success as the blood proceeds to flow out and create red flower like shapes mimicking the embroidery on her dress which I think shows how she grew from her experience of divorce. The use of blood is a recurring theme in Frida Kahlo’s paintings, representing family ties, religion and fertility.

Frida had constructed her own identity from her ethnicity, political beliefs and female experience. The painting showed women of the 1940’s that independence was possible, success without a husband was possible. Her traditional outfits in the painting reflect ‘typical’ feminine beauty but with a message of independence, self-discovery as a woman and a fight for social change. Not only does Frida explore her own identity but also the identity of Mexican and European women combined. The artery connects the two continents together like a bridge showing a shared female experience. This can also be seen through the holding of hands between both of the Fridas. The stronger Frida supports the weaker one in her time of need which symbolises solidarity between all women, resilience and empowerment.

References

https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/ap-art-history/later-europe-and-americas/modernity-ap/a/kahlo-the-two-fridas-las-dos-fridas

https://www.openculture.com/2020/03/what-the-iconic-painting-the-two-fridas-actually-tells-us-about-frida-kahlo.html

https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-two-fridas.jsp

https://blog.singulart.com/en/2019/07/23/the-two-fridas-1939-duality-and-surrealism-in-kahlos-famous-portrait/#:~:text=The%20Frida%20to%20the%20right,are%20visible%20over%20their%20clothes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxKR2cHmlPY

https://www.artsandcollections.com/article/frida-kahlo-resilience-pain-and-empowerment/

https://artuk.org/discover/stories/frida-kahlo-embracing-her-masculinity

[brooklynmuseum]

Frida Kahlo’s powerful self-portraits, carefully posed photographs, and deliberate sartorial choices all acted as complementary modes of artistic self-creation. In her twenties Kahlo embraced traditional Mexican dress and adopted the richly embroidered blouses, floor-length skirts, woven shawls, and hairstyles of Tehuana women to create her own version of mexicanidad. As the mending, cigarette burns, ink splashes, and paint stains found on many of her clothes suggest, her vibrant wardrobe was an integral part of her life, art, and identity.

Posted by Rachel Lewis Nickolas Muray (American, born Hungary, 1892-1965). Frida in Pink and Green Blouse, 1938. Color Carbon print. Collection of Throckmorton Fine Art. © Nickolas Muray Photo Archives and Installation views of Frida Kahlo: Appearances can be Deceiving by Jonathan Dorado, Brooklyn Museum.

Los poderosos autorretratos, las fotografías cuidadosamente posadas y las elecciones sartoriales deliberadas de Frida Kahlo fueron modos complementarios de autocreación artística. Desde sus veinte años de edad, Kahlo asumió los vestidos tradicionales mexicanos y adoptó como parte de su vestuario las blusas sinuosamente bordadas, las faldas hasta el suelo, los chales tejidos y los elaborados peinados de las mujeres Tehuanas para crear su propia versión de la mexicanidad. Como sugieren los zurcidos, las quemaduras de cigarrillo, las salpicaduras de tinta y las manchas de pintura visible en mucha de su ropa, su vibrante vestuario era una parte integral de su vida, arte e identidad.  

[unlikelykingdomphilosopher]

Frida Kahlo and the entire Mexicanidad/Mexicayotl movement and Chicanos are all punk. Fight me.

[edsonlnoe]

If this general concept sounds risky, that’s because it is. One of the biggest surprises contained within “Coco,” and one that it’s okay to freely discuss, is how historically and culturally specific this movie is. There are whole swaths of dialogue in Spanish, sometimes without subtitles. Cultural and historical figures from Latin culture appear or are brought up. It never feels, while you’re watching the film, like anything was watered down or simplified to appeal to a mass audience. Instead, it boldly revels in its very Mexican-ness.

Drew Taylor, The Playlist. Pixar·COCO (2017) | Review

[thechildrensmuseum]

Skeletons like this one are created by Mexican artists to make people laugh and to poke fun at death. During the Mexican celebration, El Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), artists create skeletons from all walks of life to relay the message that no matter who you are in life - rich or poor, famous or unknown - you will end up a skeleton in the end. Skeleton decorations and sculptures can be seen in homes, markets and all around town during the weeks leading up to Day of the Dead, celebrated from October 31 - November 2.

This sculpture represents artists Frida Kahlo. Active in politics and Communism during the Mexican Revolution of 1917, many of her post-war works were influenced by a surge of nationalism called Mexicanidad. Highly revered by Mexican people, she has become a cult figure and is often depicted in Day of the Dead works of art. This sculpture mimics one of her many self-portraits created in the 1920s-1940s.

[noletemasallobo-blog]

Trabajador de trajinera

[mariabarba]

¿Dónde está el bigote de Frida Kahlo? (2017) Barba, María