A Wicked Woman: The Rebellious Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo de Rivera, born Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón, was a Mexican painter known for her self-portraits.

Kahlo's life began and ended in Mexico City, in her home, which is known as "La Casa Azul," the Blue House. Her work has been celebrated internationally as emblematic of Mexican national and indigenous traditions, and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and form.

Mexican culture and tradition are important in her work, which has been sometimes characterized as naïve art or folk art. Her work has also been described as surrealist, and in 1938 André Breton, principal initiator of the surrealist movement, described Kahlo's art as a "ribbon around a bomb". Frida rejected the "surrealist" label imposed by Breton, as she argued that her work reflected more of her reality than her dreams.

Kahlo had a volatile marriage with the famous Mexican artist Diego Rivera. She suffered lifelong health problems, many of which were caused by a traffic accident she survived as a teenager. Recovering from her injuries isolated her from other people, and this isolation influenced her works, many of which are self-portraits. Kahlo suggested, "I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best."

Not known by many people was some of her rebellious and thoroughly wicked proclivities. She was known to dress in men’s clothing and even cut her hair “like a man” once. Frida liked to drink, smoke, and say countless profanities. She liked to engage in sexual relations with both men and women. These acts were all seen as rebellious behavior back in the early 1900’s, but after analyzing these acts with a modern feminist perspective we can see them as unconventional/revolutionary feminist acts of her time. She was who she was.

Like most female visual artists, Frida is notable simply for daring to venture into the visual artist field. During her time, there was little to no dealers or museums that would have her work or any other woman’s work simply because they were considered amateurs in a man’s field. 

To Frida, thanks for paving the way for countless female artists of the future!

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