This gallery focuses on the life and art of notable Mexican Painter Frida Kahlo, as well as her husband Diego Rivera. They have distinct styles, but are both able to brilliantly convey the beauty and culture of Mexico, as well as the universality of human experience. Frida Kahlo has always been among my favorite artists. She endured much pain in her life, but used painting as a way to cope. Diego Rivera was controversial in his time, due to his staunch communist viewpoints. His art reflects his passion and ideals.
Frida Kahlo had polio as a child and was involved in a horrendous bus accident in her late teens. As a result, her life was ridden with hospital visits, surgeries, and chronic pain. Much of her work deals with the pain she endured after accidents.
Frida and the Cesarean (unfinished), Frida Kahlo, 1931, From the collection of: Museo Frida Kahlo
Due to her accident, Frida Kahlo was not able to have children, and had several painful miscarriages during her life. Many of her paintings deal with themes of motherhood and pregnancy. These paintings are powerful in their representation of Frida's pain.
Frida Kahlo painted many self portraits, often containing her beloved pets. She was a lifelong animal lover and had a plethora of fascinating creatures including monkeys, dogs, parrots, and goats. In this portrait, she is seen with a spider monkey and a hairless dog. She is dressed in traditional Mexican garb and a Mexican idol can be seen in the top corner.
Beginning in 1913, Diego Rivera painted approximately 200 paintings in the cubist style. In order to illustrate multiple textures, Diego added sand to his paint. This painting was a part of the only exhibition devoted in its entirety to Diego Rivera's work.
This self portrait was painted in 1954, the year Frida passed away.Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo were married for a short time. Their marriage was ill fated, as he was a notable philanderer and even had an affair with her sister! Regardless of the tumult present in their marriage, they remained close friends for many years and influenced each other's art.
Like Frida Kahlo, Diego River was incredibly proud of his native Mexico. Upon returning to Mexico from Europe, he began depicting the Mexican common people in most of his paintings. Much of his subject matter dealt with every day life in Mexico, such as scenes of people working.
Diego Rivera became an ardent proponent of Communist ideals within Mexican politics. He supported his political agenda in several ways. He participated in protests on a regular basis. Additionally, he created incredible murals and paintings like this, depicting the struggles of the working people of Mexico and often incorporate traditional Mexican imagery, as well as communist symbolism.
Autorretrato en casa de Trotsky, Coyoacán, Ciudad de México, Graciela Iturbide, 2006, From the collection of: Fundacion MAPFRE
This is a picture of bullet holes in Leon Trotsky's house in Mexico. He and his family took refuge here, after being expelled from the USSR. Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera became incredibly close with Trotsky, having them stay at their home at one point. This photograph gives the viewer an austere representation of the tumult of Trotsky's brief time in Mexico.
Credits: All media
This user gallery has been created by an independent third party and may not represent the views of the institutions whose collections include the featured works or of Google Arts & Culture.
