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Frida Kahlo Contents Introduction 2 Childhood 2 Education 3 Love and Family Life 3 Life as a Painter 3 Conclusion 4 References 4 Frida Kahlo Introduction Frida Kahlo, one of the all-time-great painters in the world, was born on July 6, 1907 in a small town at the outskirt of Mexico City. By the time she was 19, she has matured into an outstanding painter performing all kinds of magic on the canvas using unique ideas and striking colors. Bulk of her work was self portraits that reflected her own pain and tribulations. Frida died on July 13, 1954, at a young age of 47. Even though she had become known as a great painter during her lifetime, her true worth seemed to have surfaced internationally three decades after her death. The 1980 s saw historians, critics and feminists writing a host of books and articles heaping praise on her work and numerous plays, films as well as jewelry and calendars introduced in her honor.
Childhood Frida Kahlo was born and grew up in Coyoacan, a small locality at the Mexico City suburbs, along with her three sisters. Her father was of Hungarian-Jewish descent (born in Germany) and the mother a Spanish-Mexican Indian. While at age six, the girl contracted polio that permanently affected her right leg. The deformity notwithstanding, Kahlo was an active participant in a number of games / sports including boxing. The Mexican revolution that began in 1910 when Kahlo was hardly three years old left a distinct image in her mind. The gunfire, street fights and the overall chaos were still recalled by her during her artistic pursuits at a later life.
Education In 1922, at the age of 15 and still in the midst of the Mexican revolution, Kahlo got enrolled in a premedical program at one of the best schools in Mexico City. This schooling stint, however, proved to be short lived as she met with a bus accident and getting badly hurt three years later. Even though she managed to recover to some extent, the accident became almost a kind of curse to her as she spent the remainder of her life in continual pain, finally giving in to consequential ailments at a relatively young age of 47. Love and Family Life The first romantic involvement Kahlo had was while she was in the preparatory school -with a fellow student named Alejandro Gomez.
After she started painting, she fell in love with the famous Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, whom she greatly admired earlier. Although he was 20 years her senior, both liked each other and were keen enough to start an intimate relationship. They married in 1929 much to the displeasure of Kahlo's mother. The marriage, however, proved to be a turbulent affair resulting in much unpleasantness including infidelities committed by both the partners. These goings-on lead to a divorce. The couple, however, remarried in 1940.
The second marriage too, proved to be equally tumultuous. Life as a Painter It is during her long period of virtual inactivity after the unfortunate accident that Kahlo chose to forget her dreams of becoming a doctor and started to paint with oils. Her works mostly comprised of self-portraits to replicate her inner feelings of pain and turmoil. The paintings initially were consciously raw, crammed with elements of the Mexican folk art in vibrant colors. As for her tremendous inclinations for making self portraits she once said, I paint self portraits because I am the person I know best. After her marriage to Diego Rivera, they took frequent trips to the United States and France.
This helped Kahlo to come in contact with many celebrities including top names in the world of art. In 1938, Kahlo held her maiden exhibition at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York City. The 1940 s were probably the golden years of Frida Kahlo, the artist. She was immensely successful with her endeavors during this period until she died in 1954. Conclusion Frida Kahlo may not have become utterly famous as an artist in her lifetime. Nonetheless, years after her untimely death connoisseurs have come to recognize her talents and her works.
She may not have had a very delightful time as far her childhood or family life is concerned. Yet, in spite of all her troubles and tribulations what she has left in the worlds of art will always be cherished by all categories of art loving people. References 1. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. (December 2007). Wikipedia: Frida Kahlo. 11 December 2007. < web > 2. Frida Kahlo.
Com (1998). Biography: Frida Kahlo. 11 December 2007. < web >
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Research essay sample on Diego Rivera Mexican Revolution
