Frida Kahlo
Big Idea or Subject:
Identity
Major Theme:
Self, culture
Medium or Presentation:
Portrait Painting
Visual Components:
Form, color, repetition, movement, shape, space, value, movement, pattern
Category:
Fine Arts
Authorship:
Frida Kahlo
Title:
Self Portrait with Monkeys
Original Location:
Mexico, 1943
Description and Interpretation
There is a woman in the center. Since I have previous knowledge of the artist, and what she looks like, I know that this is Frida Kahlo. It is a self-portrait of the artist. She does not appear happy, but looks strongly forward. She has monkeys all around her, which makes me assume she is in a country that is exotic, or has jungles. I can also make this assumption based on the plants that are around her, that have large, broad leaves. She is wearing a shirt that looks very different from something I have seen from my own experiences (possibly has some cultural significance?). Her hair style is also unique. Frida Kahlo often painted about herself, as she once said “I paint myself because that is what I know best”. She was well known for being a feminist, as well as contributing to Mexican culture. I think this piece shows a lot about Kahlo and the culture that she is from based off of what she has chosen to include in the image.
Use in Teaching:
I would use this as an example of how artists tell stories about themselves by making self-portraits. She is not happy in the image, as she has had a lot of hard times in her life. She shows a lot about her character, as well as the culture which she is from. I would ask my students to examine the image and come to different conclusions on what they think they might know about this woman and why. Then, I would ask them to come up with characteristics of their own personality, cultural background or life events and how they would show that through imagery and/or symbolism.
Source:
Anothermag.com
Identity
Major Theme:
Self, culture
Medium or Presentation:
Portrait Painting
Visual Components:
Form, color, repetition, movement, shape, space, value, movement, pattern
Category:
Fine Arts
Authorship:
Frida Kahlo
Title:
Self Portrait with Monkeys
Original Location:
Mexico, 1943
Description and Interpretation
There is a woman in the center. Since I have previous knowledge of the artist, and what she looks like, I know that this is Frida Kahlo. It is a self-portrait of the artist. She does not appear happy, but looks strongly forward. She has monkeys all around her, which makes me assume she is in a country that is exotic, or has jungles. I can also make this assumption based on the plants that are around her, that have large, broad leaves. She is wearing a shirt that looks very different from something I have seen from my own experiences (possibly has some cultural significance?). Her hair style is also unique. Frida Kahlo often painted about herself, as she once said “I paint myself because that is what I know best”. She was well known for being a feminist, as well as contributing to Mexican culture. I think this piece shows a lot about Kahlo and the culture that she is from based off of what she has chosen to include in the image.
Use in Teaching:
I would use this as an example of how artists tell stories about themselves by making self-portraits. She is not happy in the image, as she has had a lot of hard times in her life. She shows a lot about her character, as well as the culture which she is from. I would ask my students to examine the image and come to different conclusions on what they think they might know about this woman and why. Then, I would ask them to come up with characteristics of their own personality, cultural background or life events and how they would show that through imagery and/or symbolism.
Source:
Anothermag.com
View more images of Frida Kahlo and her art:
Here is an interesting short video documentary on Frida Kahlo: