Alana DeLucia

AP Art History

Kahlo vs. Rivera

The Two Fridas vs. Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park

These two works are drastically different, from the subject to the portrayal. However, the

two artist’s lives were interwoven through marriage, and business; giving the works a similarity

that goes beyond the initial subject.

The Two Fridas by Frida Kahlo is a 5’ 8” x 5’ 8”, oil on canvas painted in 1939, shortly

after her divorce with Diego Rivera. In this work Frida Kahlo paints a double self-portrait; on the

right side she sits adorned in a traditional Mexican costume (Tehuana), on the left she is featured

in a colonial-style wedding dress. The duality of the portraits in this work is Kahlo showing

“two” of herself. The right side can be interpreted as her with the man she loved, Rivera was

strongly influenced by his Mexican culture, so her in the traditional Tehuana is an extension of

this. In her hand, she holds a photo of him as a child, on her chest is an anatomical heart—

exposed and vulnerable, but whole—perhaps how she felt when she was with Rivera. The left

side is an unloved Frida, the same anatomical heart is exposed but it is broken in half and there is

an artery that drips blood upon her lap, spilling all over her beautiful white dress. She holds a

surgical tool, those of which cut the main artery of the heart, she is in danger of bleeding to

death. The stormy, dark sky behind them depicts her inner conflict and feelings of duress and

anger. The two Fridas face each other and hold hands, their hearts are connected by a thin artery

that reaches across the space between the two women, essentially revealing that while they are

different personalities, the two Fridas are still connected and are still the same person.
 Dream of a Sunday Afternoon in Alameda Central Park is a 4.8 x 15 m mural painted in

1947 by Diego Rivera. In this work, there are hundreds of figures from over 400 years of

Mexican history who gather to take a walk in the largest park in Mexico City. Among these are

Hernán Cortés, Sor Juana, and Porfirio Díaz, the printmaker and draughtsman José Guadalupe

Posada, and La Catrina, Frida Kahlo and Rivera appear in the crowd as well. At first look, the

colorful balloons, bright trees, diverse vendors, and well-dressed citizens appear to be existing

harmoniously; this dream reveals something darker upon further examination. A man shooting

into the face of someone being trampled, a police officer and an indigenous family confronting

one another, and a skeleton smiling directly at the viewer. The skeleton derives from

Posada’s La Calavera de la Catrina (The Catrina Skeleton) created in 1913. Looking at the

mural from left to right reveals a chronology, the left side highlights the conquest of Mexico, the

center reveals the fight for independence while modern achievements fill the right side. Rivera

was very involved socially, and his work was largely focused on social issues occurring around

him; in this work he reminds the viewer that the struggles of Mexico’s history were resolved by

the Mexican citizens from all class levels in society.

These works share the quality of a much deeper and complex meaning. They both touch

on aspects of Mexican heritage and both artists utilize their culture to influence their paintings.

The dynamic relationship between Kahlo and Rivera is the main theme of her work, Frida

explores herself and her emotions after her separation from Diego. She uses her talent to express

herself and work through her emotions. Their relationship is touched upon in Rivera’s work, in a

more subtle way. Frida Kahlo is standing amongst the large crowd and holds a small yin yang in

her hand, in Chinese philosophy, the yin and yang represents opposite yet interdependent forces,

like day and night. The symbol represents duality, much like Kahlo’s work. Essentially making
this a metaphor for Rivera and Kahlo’s complex relationship: married, separated, and got back

together; they were political comrades; and they painted each other frequently. While these

works share similar meanings and themes, they also differ. Kahlo’s work was solely based on

emotion and inner turmoil. Rivera’s work focused on social turmoil and Mexican heritage

primarily, only sneaking a small glimpse of his feelings towards Kahlo into his work.