Written by Kaylie Pendleton.
Frida Kahlo's Biography
Frida Kahlo, born in Mexico City, didn’t start her life with an interest in painting. She was first interested in science and medicine, however, that all changed when she was in a bus accident and was stuck in bed rest with a very slow recovery. She taught herself to paint and slowly grew into the style that we know today. She was always interested in politics, meeting Diego Rivera at a Mexican Communist Party meeting. While showcasing her work around the world independently, she was often in the shadow of her husband and belittled as a woman of color. In her private life, she was not swayed by her husband or gender roles at the time and created more work when she separated from him. Even during many medical complications, she kept her personality and kept on painting up to her death.
Frida was not a famous artist when she was alive, Diego was the star. However, after her death, he helped share her story with the world and posthumously became the icon for many communities we know her for. While Frida as an icon is an inspiration for many, Frida, when she was alive, was witty, stood up for herself, and had lots of fun despite her condition.
5 Facts About Frida Kahlo
- The 500 Mexican peso bill that was brought out 100 years after the Mexican Revolution features Frida on one side and Diego on the other.
- Frida was the first 20th Century Mexican artist whose work was bought by the Louvre in 1939, even thought she was still seen as an extension of Diego Rivera.
- Georgia O'Keefe and Frida Kahlo were friends. They often wrote letters back and forth and held quite a fondness for each other.
- Her first solo exhibition in Mexico was in 1953. She was under orders of bed rest by her doctors but she made it. She was driven by ambulance and was placed in a bed at the exhibition but she still made it!
- Her rise to icon status was brought after her death, she became a symbol for both feminist and LGBTQ movements.
5 Quotes from Frida Kahlo
- “Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light. Tragedy is the most ridiculous thing.”
- "I am my own muse, I am the subject I know best. The subject I want to know better."
- “I think that little by little I’ll be able to solve my problems and survive.”
- "I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.”
- "I hope the exit is joyful and i hope never to return”
Want to be more inspired by Frida Kahlo?
Check out the 2023 Ponder Planner featuring remarkable women each month. Weekly spreads, reflection pages, journal prompts and more!
Explore more about Frida Kahlo on these sites
https://www.artsandculture.google.com/project/frida-kahlo
Citations
“Faces of Frida - Google Arts & Culture.” Google, Google, https://artsandculture.google.com/project/frida-kahlo.
“Frida Kahlo and Her Paintings.” Frida Kahlo: 100 Paintings Analysis, Biography, Quotes, & Art, http://www.fridakahlo.org/.
“Frida Kahlo.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., https://www.britannica.com/biography/Frida-Kahlo.