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Bella P.4

Essay #17 – #140 and #143

Surrealism was such a prevalent movement that lasted throughout the 20th-

century; it was such “an avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to

release the creative potential of the unconscious mind.” Surrealism, in these two pieces

portrayed and reflected the attempt to represent an unseen world of dreams. It worked so

well as to show the abstract tradition and most importantly the use of such extraordinary

reality-based subjects. Surrealism was never clearly understood, thus exemplifying such a

loose perspective to the movement itself. This movement thrived in two significant art

pieces that will be discussed inside of this essay: “The Two Fridas” by Frida Kahlo and

the other, “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park” by Diego Rivera.

“The Two Fridas” by Frida Kahlo explicitly defines her self, the artist, in two

different perspectives in which portray two different sides of her in her life. Frida Kahlo

dives into this surrealist movement with this oil on canvas painting in which was created

in the year of 1939. This piece exhibits such a phenomenal Juxtaposition of two self-

portraits, and on the left sits the side of Frida Kahlo that is more formal of herself, she is

portrayed as a Spanish lady in an elegant white lace dress. On the right is the portrait of

Frida Kahlo that portrays the more traditional standpoint of Mexican culture. She is

dressed as a Mexican peasant, and this side of her is most prevalent in the Mexican folk

art that served as a very personal background of her culture and where she was born. The

most significant part of this piece is the detail that is of the two hearts being intertwined

by veins. This intertwining symbol of connection is eventually seen being cut by scissors

which then separates the two ends, one being significant in terms of her husbands portrait
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which signifies the time in which her and her husband separated into divorce. The

background is created in simplicity from the land in the back to the faint sky in which

contrasts with the two portraits of Frida Kahlo. The blood on her lap also signifies the

multiple abortions and medical traumas she has faced throughout her life.

The next piece focuses on the surrealist movement as well along with the focus on

having a Mexican culturist background, “Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda

Central Park” by Diego Rivera. This painting was created in the year of 1947, and it was

initially meant to be a fresco in the Hotel Del Prado in Mexico City. This piece carries a

bit more culture with it beginning with such a prevalent image of the Catrina woman.

These women were most prominent in Mexican culture at the time, and they were

depicted as skeletons inside of this painting containing a sense of judgment on the

Mexican upper class. During this time period, Mexican muralism was a dominant form of

mural paintings that communicated different messages to society in attempts to bring the

country back in to order after being involved in the post-revolution government. This

painting depicts hundreds of characters from Mexican history that came together from all

times of history. This painting includes very significant people from this time: Hernan

Cortes, Porfirio Diaz, and Sor Juana. This piece can get very confusing to say the least

due to the fact that it exploits so many different forms of art. There is a sense of

playfulness and joy that is seen in the balloons that indeed contradict the very depressing

and dark characteristics such as the policemen. It is very obvious, the effort made by the

artist, to include surrealism through the many subjects that appear to have come from

dreams or the subconscious. Rivera shows this explicit dream in a chronological order

from left to right that ultimately depicts his view on Mexican independence to the many
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modern achievements that were made by the Mexican elite. Both religious idealism and

religious intolerance are very present inside of this dream and it presents such a

prominent message that is seen throughout the whole painting.

Frida and Rivera were lovers in which interacted with their paintings created

about their love and focus on the Mexican history and culture. Although they did

eventually split, they continued to influence each other. These two paintings do such a

good job at exemplifying the importance of Mexican history and how their lives haves

been affected by it and surrealism as well. Mexican culture was such a dominant thing in

both of these artists’ lives, and it is seen very beautifully in representation in these two

pieces.