In the annals of the art world, the male names dominate. From Da Vinci to Van Gogh to Dali, it is a mostly exclusively male domain, indeed a western male domain. There are however exceptions. Among them we find American artists Mary Cassatt. Another and even more inspiring example is Mexican Artist Frida Kahlo.
Born in 1907 in Mexico, Frida Kahlo was the wife of famous Mexican painter Diego Rivera, of Detroit Industry fame and more. But Kahlo herself also painted. Her main subject was herself through self portraits, but she also painted the world around her. Her paintings are characterized by a vibrant use of colors, its passion and pain and its depiction of the female experience. While not widely recignised in her own lifetime (she passed away in 1954), she was first widely recognized in the 80s in Mexico through the rise of the Neomexicanismo movement. The recognition later spread through exhibitions of her work, an Opera about her and a Hollywood film starring Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo. She was also included on the Mexican 500 peso note and Google now marks her birthday by including her portrait in their logo on the 6th July. Her painting Roots sold at auction in 2006 for USD 5.6 million, a record sum for a Latin American artist. As such, the wife of Diego Rivera turned out herself to be the leading ambassador for Mexican and Latin American art and a movement onto herself.
An example of her work is “Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird” which displays not only her vibrant, locally inspired use of colors but also the seriousness of her work and its presentation. The Frida Kahlo painting can today be found in the collection of the University of Texas at Austin. The inspiration generated by her art can be found around the world.
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