Frida Kahlo

By: Omar Eslam

In honour of: Miss Salma Bergachoun
Who was
Frida Kahlo? Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo
was a Mexican painter born 1907,
dying in 1954. She was best
known for her uncompromising
and brilliantly colored self-
portraits that deal with such
themes as identity, the human
body, and death. Although she
denied the connection, she is
The Two Fridas (1939)
often identified as a Surrealist.
 Frida Kahlo’s Accident

On September 17, 1925, Frida was involved in

a serious bus accident, which left her with a
broken spinal column, a broken collarbone,
broken ribs, a broken pelvis, and 11 fractures
in her right leg. In addition, her right foot was
dislocated and crushed, and her shoulder was
out of joint. This accident caused her to not be
able to give birth to a Child.
 Most notable paintings

The Two Fridas Self Portrait with Thorn necklace Self Portrait with Monkey
(1939) and Hummingbird (1938)
(1940)
What did The Two It is a double self-portrait,
Frida’s represent? depicting two versions of
Kahlo and her personalities
seated together. One is
wearing a white European-
style Victorian dress while
the other is wearing a
traditional Tehuana dress,
the version on the right is
what Diego admired and
loved. Kahlo painted The
Two Fridas in 1939, the
same year she divorced
artist Diego Rivera, although
The Two Fridas (1939)
they remarried a year later.
What did the Thorn
Necklace and Humming
bird Symbolize? Rivera gave Kahlo a monkey
for a pet, so the monkey on her
back could be a direct
reference to Rivera. It is also
thought that the monkey could
symbolise the devil, and that in
the artwork he is antagonizing
Kahlo by tugging at the thorn
necklace
What did the Self Portrait with Monkey symbolize ?

The Self Portrait with a

Monkey is Frida and a
Monkey on her back, the
Monkey represents a soul,
and she considers the
Monkey to be her child,
since the accident she was
in left her unable to give
birth.
Self Portrait with M onkey (1938)
Fridas Impact on Art

Kahlo has undoubtedly become a huge

source of inspiration and empowerment
for women over the generations. From a
young age, she was resilient, strong and
took control of her own life. She became a
feminist icon through her character,
activism, and art. In her cultural persona,
Frida extended the history of Mexico into
her art, thus building a patrimony of
cultural ideals, artistic techniques, and
social values that are today important for
her country and the art she created.
 Facts about
Kahlo

She is known as the

master of Self-Portraits.

Frida didn't always

want to be an artist.

Kahlo produced about

200 paintings