La Vida De Frida

Kahlo's bus accident

On September 17, 1925, Frida Kahlo was involved in a bus accident that changed her life forever. On this particular day, Kahlo was returning home with her first love Alejandro Arias. They bith boarded this crowded bus and took seats towards the back. Then, within seconds later, an electric streetcar crashed into the bus that Kahlo and Arias were on. Several passengers died instantly, but Kahlo had suffered severe injuries with an iron handrail impaling her through her pelvis. Kahlo’s pelvic bone had been fractured. The rail punctured her abdomen and uterus, her spine was broken in three places, her right leg in 11 places. Her shoulder was dislocated, her collarbone was broken and later on doctors discovered that three additional vertebrae had been broken as well.  The painting that I chose to represent this event is a painting by Frida Kahlo herself titled Without Hope. The painting shows Kahlo being bedridden and being fed from this odd-looking horn. The horn is filled with death, and she is being forced fed because it looks as if her arms may be pinned down. Her facial expression doesn’t show any sign of hope. Instead, her eyes look as if they are asking the viewer to end her suffering. It is important to note that on the back of this painting Kahlo wrote down the following message: “Not the least hope remains to me…Everything moves in time with what the belly contains.”

Kahlo Frida. Without Hope. 1945 

https://www.fridakahlo.org/without-hope.jsp 

https://www.biography.com/artists/frida-kahlo-bus-accident 

The dysfunctional childless relationship with Diego Rivera

Following this tragic accident Kahlo married an artist named Diego Rivera. Kahlo and Rivera connected in 1928. Kahlo asked Rivera to evaluate her work and he inspired her. They soon after started a romantic relationship. Even though Frida’s parents didn’t approve the two got married the next year 1929. Kahlo’s and Rivera’s marriage was not the ideal marriage. For many years they kept separate homes. Diego had many affairs and one of those affairs was told to be with Kahlo’s own sister. Kahlo wanted so badly to give Rivera children, but with her extensive injuries she suffered many miscarriages, and her doctors didn’t believe that it was safe. The painting that I chose to represent this event is another painting by Kahlo titled Henry Ford Hospital. This painting expresses all the emotions that Frida felt at this time. In this painting Kahlo is laying naked in a hospital bed. You can see the blood coming from her vagina which can signify a miscarriage. She has six items that look as if they are attached to her. One of those items being a fetus. She has a tear coming from her eye which shows that she obviously was not happy with how her life was at this time.

Kahlo, Frida. Henry Ford Hospital. 1932

https://www.fridakahlo.org/frida-kahlo-biography.jsp 

Muerte

Frida dealt with chronic pain for most of her life. By the year 1950 Kahlo’s health was worsening. She had several continuous surgeries and had become bedridden again. In the year of 1953, part of Kahlo’s leg got amputated to stop the progression of gangrene. During this difficult time Kahlo was in tremendous pain physically and emotionally. She was sadly very depressed and had an increased desire for suicide. Despite her health issues at this time Kahlo was still active with the political movement. Her last public appearance was on July 2,1953. One week before her 47^th birthday, Frida Kahlo had passed away at her childhood home Blue House. It is told that the cause of her death is by a pulmonary embolism, but there is still speculation that her death was a possible suicide. The image I chose to represent this event is one of Kahlo’s beloved Blue House. Her Blue House was turned into the Frida Kahlo Museum after her death inside are all of her original works of art. There are exhibits of her dresses and outfits that she wore. Her bedroom where she painted and the bed that was specifically made for her is still there. This image celebrates the life that Frida Kahlo lived before she died.

https://www.fridakahlo.org/frida-kahlo-biography.jsp 

Overview

The reason that I offered that background concerning those three events is because it helps me to explain what The Broken Column was doing socially and more so personally when Frida Kahlo created it. Kahlo’s painting demonstrates a great deal of pain and intense emotions. Since this is a self-portrait, it was crucial that I gave the history of Kahlo’s life to better understand the details of the painting. The painting shows a split going down her chest and an iron rail going through from her pelvis up to her throat. This is the same iron rail that impaled Frida during the terrible bus accident. The rod being the center of the painting can be to show that the accident ruined her body. The nails all over her body can signify that she was in pain all over physically and mentally. The nails can also signify all of the events in her life that might have caused her pain. For example, the pins can be a symbol for the many surgeries, miscarriages, infidelities and or “no’s” from her doctor about having children. As we can see so may have hurt more than others by the size of the nail. The tears in the painting expresses the intense sadness and chronic pain that she endured internally and externally. The white cloth at the bottom of the painting could symbol surrender. Kahlo was suffering for many years and she wanted it to end. The white cloth could express the suicidal thoughts she had which why it was important for me to include her death previously. This painting shows that ultimately all that Frida Kahlo had was her pain.

Kahlo, Frida. The Broken Column. 1944

https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-broken-column.jsp