Getting Frank About Frida Kahlo

The above painting greeted me as I stepped foot in the Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

My initial reaction to attending the exhibit was - yeahh sure, I'll go. Who are we going to see again? I wasn't that excited, but my attitude changed as I looked at the first painting. I was no longer there just because. I was engaged. I'm not sure what flipped the switch for me. It could have been Frida's bold stare, those little animals on her shoulders, or the necklace piercing her skin. I became excited to see the rest of her work.

I didn't know much about Frida prior to the exhibit, except for her name as a pop culture reference and that famous uni-brow. This exhibit changed that. It included over 40 original works of art from 1926 - 1954 (the year of her death). There were also 100's of photographs taken of Frida, often accompanied with her lover and acclaimed muralist Diego Rivera.

Three things stuck out to me - the vivid colors, graphic symbolism, and extensive self examination. The colors seemed to jump off of the page. They were bright, bold, and energetic. Still Life with Parrot and Fruit (1951) (see below) is a great example.

Surrealistic symbolism was also apparent in many paintings such as Henry Ford Hospital (1932). This painting shows Frida lying on an operating table with internal organs removed from her body. One of those items was a fetus, the reason she was in the hospital. It represents her inability to have children.

The third feature that I appreciated was her continual self examination. She obsessed with how others viewed her, and her own self perception. At first, I thought - get over yourself and start illustrating some important stuff. Enough of the head shots. But as the portraits continued, it showed her serious approach to self discovery and I began to understand.

The Frida exhibit, celebrating the 100th anniversary of her birth, is no longer at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. However, I would encourage everyone to spend some time viewing her artwork. There is a reason for her prominence in the modern art community.

To clarify, I respect Frida's artistic abilities, but I do not agree with all of her lifestyle or art decisions. She committed open affairs within her marriage, which is clearly against God's commands. Many of her artworks also lacked redeeming values. They did not provide a hope that the Gospel brings.

But I do think her art made significant developments. Anyone that denies that is missing the big picture. She progressed the experimentation of previously accepted art forms with her self portraits, colors, and surrealistic themes. At the same time she gave women a powerful voice that often originated from her emotional and physical struggles.

Frida's content didn't always reflect the true character of God, but her artistic talent did.

What do you think?