Episode #20 - Frida Kahlo
If you were to ask the people I am closest to about what words come to mind when they think of me, they would probably say Walt Disney World. And likewise, if you were to ask the people who were close to my sister what words come to mind when they think of her, they would most certainly say- Frida Kahlo, the painfully gifted artist from Mexico.
My sister developed an extremely deep appreciation for Mexican culture when she was in her early 20s. I think part of this came about because we lived in an area with a high concentration of immigrants from Mexico. When we were younger, my sister and I both ended up working alongside many individuals who had come from Mexico (and other Spanish-speaking countries) often to better their lives and to earn money to send back home to their families. At times, many of these people faced discrimination, racially charged comments and jokes and were looked at through a judgmental lens. Not from my sister though. My sister took it upon herself to forge friendships with many people she worked with. Even though she worked in the “front of the house” if you will, as a waitress, she reached out to her co-workers at the “back of the house” because she saw them as human beings, not just the group of people who were trying to learn a second language and adapt to American life. I don’t remember if my sister took a foreign language in high school or college, I’m sure she did, I just don’t remember which one and even if she did, she didn’t show a lot of interest in said language. However, while so many people around these Spanish-speaking immigrants demanded that they speak English and spoke down to them, my sister took it upon herself to befriend them and asked her co-workers to teach her Spanish. During many of her shifts as a waitress in an incredibly busy bar/restaurant my sister somehow managed to learn Spanish to the point where she was essentially fluent. She not only made her co-workers feel welcome in a country that didn’t always roll out the welcome mat, but she fell even deeper in love with Mexican people and culture. She too felt welcomed and accepted by Mexican people, in fact she would always tell us that someday she wanted to marry a Mexican man. I firmly believe that had her life not ended the way that it did, I don’t think anyone in our family would have been surprised if she did and of course we would have supported her no matter what if she married someone that was of Mexican heritage. My sister never boasted about her reaching out to her co-workers who were from Mexico, she was just almost always rooting for the underdog throughout her life and saw herself and them as equals.
Given that she loved Mexican culture and its people, it also made sense that her apartment was adorned with the images of el virgin de guadalupe (our Lady of Guadalupe) the Catholic name for the Virgin Mary. She often burned a candle with her likeness on it and had a framed picture on her wall as well. At some point, my sister was introduced to the notable artist Frida Kahlo and she became enamored with her unique artwork and her story. Again, there are a lot of parallels between Frida Kahlo and my sister’s life which is why this week’s episode is a bit of an emotional one for me. Thank god for the beauty that is, audio editing.
That way, I’ll spare you the sound of me dry heaving and going into the ugly cry. However, even though sometimes discussing the various pop culture artifacts related to my sister or my sister in general can be heartbreaking and painful, I will discuss them for the rest of my life. As the saying goes, “speak your mind even if your voice shakes.” She will always be a part of me, heck her name and her initials I have tattooed on my arms. This coming from someone who thought I’d never have one.
With that being said, on today’s show we will be discussing the life of Frida Kahlo, one of the most famous artists to come out of Mexico in the early 20th century and a feminist icon. I thought maybe I had a vague sense of what her life was like, but I soon realized I really had no clue and I am so grateful that she is the topic of this week’s episode. You will learn all about Frida’s early life growing up in Mexico City, a life changing event that happened in her early adulthood, some of her most notable works of art and how she became known as one of the most prominent artists the world has ever seen, perhaps more famous posthumously than she was during her lifetime.
So grab your floor length skirt, a paint brush and a cigarette (Frida was a smoker that’s the only reason why I said that, get off my back), here we go!
Hello and thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast, a show inspired by, and in memory of, my big sister Rebecca and her love for all things pop-culture, especially the people, places and things of the 80s, 90s and early 00s. My name is Amy Lewis and I am your captain aboard this pop culture time machine. You are tuning in to Episode # 20, Frida Kahlo, my sister’s favorite artist and hero for most of her adult life. Frida Kahlo passed away decades before my sister was even born, but nonetheless she was such a symbol of perseverance for my sister that I knew our time machine needed to go back a bit farther in time than it usually does. I had to make some major adjustments on said time machine, but I think you’ll find the journey to be worth it!
Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderon was born on July 6, 1907 in Mexico City, Mexico. Her father’s name was Wilhem (but was most often called Guillermo). He was born in Germany, was Jewish and was a photographer. He had immigrated to Mexico at age 19 because he apparently could not stand his stepmother. His first wife sadly died during childbirth. Later, he met Kahlo’s mother, Matilde. Guillermo became well known for his photographs of famous leaders in Mexico and also of himself. Kahlo’s mother was apparently very religious and rigid, her father was more laid back. Matilde was allegedly not able to read or write, but she could count money. Frida was one of 4 girls in the family, her sister’s names were: Matilde, Adriana and Cristina. She grew up in a house dubbed La Casa Azul or the Blue House which her father built himself. She was described as being an outspoken and brave young child.
At age 6, Frida got Polio, she was bed-ridden for almost a year. Her right leg was impaired because of the illness and she walked with the limp from the rest of her life.
For much of her life, her left leg was thinner than her right leg. Her dad encouraged her to swim, wrestle and play soccer to aid in her recovery. Her father was pretty progressive with his ideas for how to help his daughter, as most of his suggestions were endeavors that girls did not really partake in at this time. Other children were critical of Frida and her illness, some teased her and called her “Peg Leg.”
She learned a lot about art and posing from her dad as he constantly took photos of the family. I think me and Kahlo’s dad could be friends in another life as I do the exact same thing! If you are familiar with any of Kahlo’s paintings you know she has a solid understanding of how to pose in a very striking manner. When she was a bit older, she once dressed like a man in a 3-piece suit for a family photo as she had grown tired of their typical photos with traditional outfits. As someone who despises wearing dresses, I can certainly appreciate her approach!
In 1922, Frida enrolled at the National Preparatory School. She was one of the first female students to attend. She was a very dedicated and serious student, she had hopes of becoming a doctor one day. During her time at the school, she became friends with students who were interested in politics. She joined the Young Communist League and Mexican Communist Party. She became fluent in several languages during her time in school including: English and German. During her first year of school, she crossed paths with a famous muralist named Diego Rivera. He was painting a mural at her school and she was instantly curious about him and his incredible talent as an artist. She certainly stuck out to him as well. She came across as so intense and so determined, even at a young age. As he was working on the mural, she would play pranks on him such as putting soap all over the stage or ladder he was using to paint. She told her friends at school that one day she would marry him and have a baby with him.
A few years later on September 17, 1925, Kahlo and her boyfriend Alejandro Gomez Arias were riding the bus (at the time, buses were primarily composed of wood) when it collided with a street car. A steel handrail went into her hip, penetrating through to the other side of her body through her reproductive area. She fractured her pelvis and her spine. Someone at the scene of the accident insisted on removing the guardrail from her body. Doing so was incredibly painful, even more so than the initial incident. Some bystanders said that she was screaming so loud from the excruciating pain that the sound of sirens were drowned out. She lost a lot of blood during the accident, so much so that doctors were not sure if she would survive. Despite several people losing their lives as a result of this accident somehow, Kahlo survived but she had a very long road to recovery in front of her. Doctors said that she would likely not be able to have children as a result of this horrific accident.
She began painting in 1925 as she was recovering from the bus accident that nearly killed her. Her father designed a special easel that was set up over her bed, she began to paint constantly, including on her body cast she wore for some time. A mirror was also attached to her bed so she could see herself. She was left with many physical challenges and this was how she channeled her excruciating pain. As I was researching Frida Kahlo, a clever thought came across my mind...the first 4 letters of Paint are PAIN. I’m not sure if anyone else has thought of this before me, but if not, you can quote me on it. And, you’re welcome. And if someone has already thought of this, I’m sorry!
Frida eventually returned to school after being in the hospital and recovering at home. She was in a wheelchair for quite some time and would be off and on for the rest of her life. She went through very painful therapy which involved trying to straighten her back while wearing a wrap that went under her chin and hung from the ceiling. She drifted apart from her friends and broke up with Arias. She did, however, continue to focus on her art.
Kahlo and Rivera reconnected in 1928. She had learned how to walk again which was absolutely remarkable considering she narrowly survived her traumatic accident. She wore many different back braces and corsets throughout her life to help aid with her back pain, but nothing was effective. She discovered Diego painting another mural. She left him a gift, a painting of her self portrait when she was just 19 years old. She asked him if he could come and see her artwork, to critique it and to help inform her as to whether or not her artwork was any good. He was taken aback by her talent and started spending time with her at her house, la casa azul. He was blown away by how gifted Frida was, and keep in mind that Frida was essentially a self-taught artist. She got a few lessons from a neighbor nearby who was a printmaker, but other than that, she learned all on her own after the countless hours she spent in her bed painting to cope with her circumstances. Diego encouraged her to keep up her painting. Their unique friendship turned romantic and in 1929, when Frida was 22 and Diego was 42, they got married. Her parents weren’t exactly huge fans of Diego. As a matter of fact, when they got married, they referred to Diego as an elephant and Frida as a dove. Despite being called a Dove, Frida was certainly no angel. It was said that she had the mouth of a sailor and she smoked cigarettes and drank like a fish. Someone once said that Kahlo could quote “drink tequila like a real mariachi.” It is interesting to note that Rivera was at least 6 feet tall and weighed more than 300 pounds. Kahlo was just 5’3” and weighed 98 pounds, almost the same size as my sister. Kahlo was known for her striking looks, her eyes were very captivating and she was not at all concerned with her unique facial hair. She had some dark hair above her lips and she probably holds the award for having the most famous unibrow in history. This didn’t bother Rivera though who once compared the thick eyebrows which met above her nose to the quote “wings of a blackbird, their arches framing two extraordinary brown eyes.”
Their wedding was attended by family and friends and involved excessive amounts of drinking by their guests. Rivera’s ex-wife, who was at the wedding, had too much to drink and decided to call out Rivera in front of everyone, including Frida and told everyone she couldn’t believe that Rivera would pick Kahlo over her. She lifted up her skirt and showed off her average sized legs and then proceeded to lift up Kahlo’s skirt to show her small legs and questioned why she’d want her little legs over her strong ones. Rivera didn’t try to break up this embarrassing episode. Kahlo was so upset about this that they didn’t spend their wedding night together. She spent it alone and he apparently spent it at a bar.
Their marriage was incredibly passionate and Frida really felt that Diego was the love of her life despite the many challenges they faced. Frida would suffer through over 30 surgeries to help relieve the pain she was left with following the accident, but none of them was really successful. Frida often brought Rivera lunch whenever he was working. She would even bathe him. One time she painted a picture of him naked and resting on her lap almost as if he was a baby. And what further complicated their marriage, was the infidelities that they both engaged in. I am not one to make a lot of comments about someone’s appearance but it’s amazing how many women Diego Rivera was able to canoodle with as he was, hmm, not very attractive whatsoever. He was, however, incredibly charismatic, creative and magnetic. So, it was just sort of understood that he would have affairs. However, Frida Kahlo also engaged in affairs. Some said she was the love interest of Leon Trotsky who was a former Soviet leader who had sought asylum in Mexico with his wife. That has been disputed at times, but certainly Frida was also unfaithful. She also allegedly had an affair with Josephine Baker who was a dancer. In one of their residencies, Frida and Diego had their own spaces, separated by a long walkway. This way, they could both have studio space and private spaces if you will for their other extra-curricular activities.
They traveled and lived together wherever he had art commissions including New York City where they lived in 1931 and San Francisco, etc. While they were living abroad, Frida became pregnant. Although the thought of Frida being pregnant was exciting, it was also quite scary given her health challenges and serious injuries. Sadly, she had a miscarriage and was taken to a hospital in Detroit as they were living in the area at the time. Following yet another traumatic event, Frida turned to painting to cope. She painted a picture entitled “Henry Ford Hospital” which was completed in 1932. In the painting we see Kahlo laying in a hospital bed, the sheets are covered in blood and surrounding her are various images including the fetus of a baby, pelvic bones, etc. This wouldn’t be the only time Kahlo would lose a child. Animals would eventually become like Kahlo’s surrogate children. During her life she had a pet monkey, a fawn and dogs. While living in New York City, her paintings caught the eye of Andre Breton who arranged for her first exhibition which took place there. It was very successful and led to another exhibition in Paris. As a matter of fact, the world famous Louvre Museum in Paris, France purchased Kahlo’s painting “The Frame” in 1939.
It was the first time that a 20th century Mexican artists work was purchased by a major international museum. “The Frame” was a self-portrait where she is wearing a green dress. Her face is surrounded by a border with colorful birds and flowers. After traveling for commissions and some disagreements between Rivera and the Rockefellers who had hired him to paint a mural at the Rockefeller Center, the couple moved back to Mexico. First they lived in San Angel and later moved back to La Casa Azul as Frida inherited the house from her Dad. Kahlo was incredibly grateful to be back in Mexico as she really did not care for America or Americans. She said that Americans were quote: “boring and they have faces like unbaked rolls.”
1939 was a significant year for Kahlo both because of her recognition as a true artist but also because of the downfall of her marriage. Kahlo and Rivera divorced that year. Although both were unfaithful, Rivera had an affair with Kahlo's youngest sister, Cristina. Some of her most well-known paintings were completed during this time. In 1939 she painted “The Two Fridas.” In the painting, we see two Fridas, sitting together and holding hands on a bench. The Frida on the left is dressed in a white gown, her heart has been cut open and is bleeding on her dress. The Frida on the right is dressed in more modern clothing and her heart is complete. In 1940 another painting came out of this distressing event entitled “Self Portrait with Cropped Hair.” Frida cut it to about chin length, put on one of Diego’s suits and painted a portrait of herself. In addition to using art again as her outlet, she was also hoping she may be able to start selling more of her paintings. She didn’t want any financial support from her ex-husband or any other man for that matter. Frida was once quoted as saying: “There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the trolley and the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst.” Later, in 1947, the Two Frida’s painting was purchased by the National Institute of Fine Art in Mexico City, she was FINALLY starting to be recognized for her work.
Less than a year after divorcing, Kahlo and Rivera got re-married. Apparently the couple suffered from a very serious case of a love/hate relationship or perhaps the infamous can’t live with or without you plague.
Incredibly, in 1943 Kahlo became a professor at La Ezmerel School of Art in Mexico City. She was unique in her teaching in that her students didn’t just sit in a classroom to learn about art. Instead, she had them take to the city streets to work on capturing the essence of Mexican Life. Eventually she was forced to hold the classes at her home so she could teach from her bed at times since she was so weak.
In 1944, Frida painted one of her most notable works entitled: “The Broken Column” which depicted the injury she continued to deal with as a result of the bus accident almost 20 years earlier. She is naked in the picture and is split down the middle, with her damaged spine represented by a column.
She had recently had another surgery on her spinal column and the procedure left her bed-ridden yet again and having to wear a metallic corset to help ease the pain that she had endured for so long. There are nails in her skin and on her face, representing the discomfort she was almost always dealing with.
1953 was another incredibly difficult year for Kahlo. She had developed gangrene a few years earlier in her toes and it was starting to spread. She would eventually have to have part of her leg removed below the knee. She had a prosthetic leg that she used from time to time. She also reportedly developed an addiction to pain killers at this time.
In addition to the unfortunate amputation of her foot, Kahlo’s health was really starting to decline. She spent a lot of time at home, surrounded by the things that were important to her. If she knew someone was going to be traveling, she would ask them to bring her back some small item or trinket, it helped make her feel less isolated. My sister was exactly the same way, well before she knew who Kahlo was. For most of her life, she has always collected small items, such as small toys or figurines. On her desk for a long time, you could find small Care Bears and Hello Kitty figurines and other reminders of our childhood. Later in life, my sister had a small apartment and didn’t own very much, but among the few things I took from her home after she passed were 3 figurines that are now on my dresser below a collage of photos of the two of us together. Those figurines include: a little, green buddha, a geisha and an owl. I look at them everyday, even though sometimes that is incredibly difficult. In addition to Kahlo’s love for having small, memorable items around her house, she also had a lot of folk art in her home. She was incredibly supportive of Mexican artists, their work was on display everywhere that you looked in La Casa Azul. Kahlo’s home was her oasis. She took incredible pride in it’s care and decorations.
In 1953 Kahlo reached an incredible milestone- an exhibition of art was to take place in Mexico, her dream was about to come true. To have a showcase of her incredible artwork in her home country. A country she loved and celebrated every day of her life. However, her doctor told her that she should not get out of bed and was too weak to attend. So she came up with the most genius compromise I have ever read about- she showed up to her own exhibition in her bed, which was placed onto a stretcher and moved by several men. She followed her doctor’s orders by not getting out of her bed, but she followed her heart by attending.
During the last year or so of her life, Kahlo was very depressed but still managed to make art, however, her strength was also on the decline. It was difficult for her to hold a paint brush and a lot of her later work is understandably not as detailed as it was before. She was hospitalized in 1954 for poor health, but some speculate that it was a suicide attempt. She famously once said: “I am not sick, I am broken.” Her last work of art was entitled “Viva La Vida, Watermelons.”
Frida Kahlo.org describes this painting and the last few days of her life best, the website says quote: Viva la Vida, Watermelons is the last painting that Frida Kahlo did. A vibrant conclusion to the short life of Frida Kahlo, Viva la Vida, Watermelons features rich color contrasts, curves and angles, and a final message from the artist herself. Kahlo put the finishing touches on her watermelon-themed painting just a few days before her death in 1954.
Frida Kahlo inscribed "Vida la Viva" on the central melon wedge at the bottom of the canvas, which translates as "Long live life", just eight days before she died. This may have been a straightforward statement as she neared death. It may also have been an ironic commentary on her pain-filled existence due to polio, a bus accident, and multiple surgeries.
Watermelons have hard shells that protect the soft flesh inside. When you bite into the flesh, you experience cool, juicy sweetness. At its most elemental, a watermelon could symbolize the artist herself, who had to develop a thick skin to weather a life marked with physical pain, a troubled marriage to artist Diego Rivera and harsh criticism of her art.
However, Kahlo shows in the painting that once her shell is cut open, it reveals an inner life that is vibrant, fresh, and sweet. Also, the many seeds of the watermelons, like those of the pomegranate in Greek mythology, symbolize fertility as well as immortality. Once the fruit is gone, the seeds carry the promise of new life forward into eternity. Watermelons also relate to the traditional Mexican Day of the Dead, when relatives imagine their dead feasting on watermelon and other favorite foods. On this day, Mexicans celebrate their dead rather than mourn them. The artist herself echoes this spirit in her statement, "Long live life." (or Viva la Vida in Spanish).
The whole watermelon in the middle of the painting is spherical like the earth. It is a complete circle like the cycle of birth and death. In her diary, just days before her death, Kahlo penned her final entry stating:
I hope the exit is joyful - and I hope never to return." End quote. Although I will never know the answer to this thought, I wonder if maybe this is what was going through my sister’s mind when she passed away. Her life was so painful and so isolated at times that perhaps the prospect of leaving it brought great peace and joy, and an end to her many years of suffering. For the rest of us though, our hearts shattered into a million pieces the day that she left us and we will work for the rest of our lives to pick up the pieces.
As I have mentioned in a previous episode of two, my sister dealt with a pretty significant injury that prevented her from being able to walk for the last year or two of her life and to get around, she used a wheelchair.
After her injury and subsequent passing, one very famous Frida Kahlo quote pulls on my heart strings: “Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”
On July 13, 1954 early in the morning, Kahlo’s body was found by her nurse, she had passed away. Her cause of death was declared as pulmonary embalism, but some say it was suicide. An autopsy was never performed. Whatever was her manner of death is ultimately not important. What matters is that for 47 years the world was graced with her incomparable spirit and artistic talent. Decades after Kahlo passed away, she continues to be a symbol of feminism, Mexican Pride, and even LGBTQ pride. Her sense of style was also incredibly unique and charismatic. She often dressed in what sort of her own unique version of colorful and vibrant Tehuana dresses. She was often seen in floor length skirts with an embroidered blouse. Her outfits served multiple purposes. First and foremost, the outfits were an homage to her Mother’s heritage and also, the floor length skirt hid her legs. The skirt moved in a way that didn’t bring attention to her limp and the dresses could easily be put over a corset or back brace. She also wore spectacular jewelry like long gold earrings and jade necklaces. Her hair was usually relatively long and styled in an updo involving elaborate and beautiful braids and hair pieces with flowers. Further, apparently Frida often wore gold studded teeth whenever she went out to socialize and party. Maybe Frida popularized what would later be called a grill?
In 2001 a self-portrait of Frida Kahlo appeared on a postage stamp. An autobiographical film entitled “Frida” was released in 2002 and stars Salma Hayek in the lead role. Hayek is truly outstanding playing Frida and the film was nominated for 6 academy awards. You can watch the film on Netflix which I did this past week. It is very well done and from what I have learned, it sounds like the film is pretty historically accurate, down to the unibrow. Kahlo’s likeness was also portrayed in the 2017 animated film Coco. if you are dealing with significant grief, you may want to avoid this beautiful film as the last few minutes of it will have you crying in the fetal position. It’s going to be a long time before I can watch this again because of the theme of the movie which revolves around grief and loss and the Dia de los muertos but on the flip side, sometimes a cathartic cry can be incredibly therapeutic. On Halloween one year my sister dressed like her hero Frida Kahlo. In a picture that my family sends back and forth at times we see her in a Tehuana like dress, complete with a line drawn between her two eyebrows and holding her chihuahua named, as you might have expected, Frida.
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I hope you have enjoyed this look back on the marvelous yet devastating life of Frida Kahlo, one of the most well-known and admired artists the world has ever seen. During her lifetime, Frida Kahlo produced about 200 paintings and about 55 of those were self-portraits. Her art combined folklore, fantasy and surrealism into personal narratives.
Kahlo didn’t sell a lot of art work when she was alive, but after her passing, her paintings have been incredibly valuable. One reason why her artwork has become so popular and so lucrative is because for many years, Mexico prevented the sale of her art-work so as to preserve the heritage of Mexico. In 2000 for example, one of her self portraits sold for $5 million dollars and more recently, some have sold privately for over $15 million dollars.
Everyday when I walk down my stairs in my house, I pass an ink drawing of Frida Kahlo that my sister had hanging in her apartment. From now on, I will always look at it a bit differently now that I know more about who Frida Kahlo really was and why she meant so much to my sister. I am incredibly uninformed, maybe even ignorant when it comes to art but researching the life of my sister’s hero or as my lesbian professor in college would say, she-ro, opened up my eyes into what all of her work meant and what her life has meant to so many people. I also have my sister’s Frida Kahlo necklace which I refused to take off for the few months after she passed away. I know I have seen Kahlo’s artwork throughout my life and I always just thought it was, well, just kind of odd, but I can now emphatically say that I too have an affinity and admiration for Frida Kahlo and all that she and her art work stands for. If that woman could find the strength and courage to pursue her passion despite having so many barriers and obstacles to conquer in order to do so, what’s my excuse? So maybe we should make that move to the Disney World area after all! Just don’t tell my wife I said that.
We have reached an incredible milestone just prior to the recording and release of this episode 1000 downloads! I didn’t have many expectations per se when I first thought of putting this podcast together other than to try and do something to help with the painful grief me and my family have been experiencing and perhaps bring some smiles to the wonderful people who listen and support this show. Thank you so much for the love and support.
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I hope you will join me for my next show where we will be discussing the cassette tape player that changed the lives of many a morning mall-walker and teenager all over the world, the Sony Walkman. Until then, be kind, be safe and hold on to your memories.