As I've gathered more and more information about Frida Kahlo, I'm finding it hard to give my paper direction. There are many ways and facts/stories I could share about her but and it's hard to form a clear thesis with so many things I want to get across. What I did do was look at some critiques of her paintings and analyze more about what influences from her life made her create the art. One of her most famous pieces was "The Two Fridas" which shows on one side Kahlo in a white (possibly wedding) dress and on the right her in traditional mexican wear. Both of their hearts are shown with veins running until they finally meet one another. After further research I found out she painted this right after divorcing Rivera and I think it is a reflection of the separation between the part of her that was influenced by him and loves him and the parts that are totally separate. I think it was extremely brave of her to paint her feelings so clearly for the world to see.
My Wet Nurse and I is also another very interesting piece that gives further insight into Kahlo's personal life. Because her mother got pregnant again right after giving birth to her, Frida was breastfed by a native indian wet nurse. The picture depicts a baby Kahlo with her adult head being fed by her wet nurse who has a mask on because she couldn't remember what she looked like. The relationship seems to be very cold and it also hints at the fact that Kahlo had to grow up very quickly and may have thought she never really had a childhood. This paper is definitely going to be hard but when it's done I know I will have learned a lot! P.S. I tried to put the two pictures below but it wouldn't let me add a link :(
Emily,
ReplyDeleteIn order to understand what you were talking about, I looked up both paintings. I'm glad I did, because I understand now why you are interested in these paintings specifically, but also in Kahlo. She seems, from your previous posts, to be an interesting person with a lot of stories and, with that, perhaps some misconceptions. It appears that you have a lot of information about this woman and I'm excited to see where your paper will go. I think that, once you have a thesis, you'll be set. Good luck!
I think once you find more information on her, it will be easier to come up with a directions and a thesis to really get your paper going. I think that you have a lot of good information and I really liked the two paintings you talked about and the importance behind them. The reflection of herself in her paintings is very interesting and definitely something you should include. I can't wait to read your paper, good luck!
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