Las Dos Frida Kahlo

When learning about the U.S. -Mexico borderlands with regards to female painters, one cannot forget to include Frida Kahlo. Kahlo gained lots of popularity for her art work in the 1930’s and 1940’s. She painted lots of self portraits and displayed her life experiences through her art. Many people have argued that she made a huge impact to modern art and that her artwork will remain a true inspiration for many new artists. Her creativity and fame has set an example of how a Mexican woman can succeed in a country that has done so much to keep Mexican women in the bottom tier. Intriguingly, her fame was a result of her ability to include controversial topics in her art. She was very expressive on how she felt during difficult times in her life

She painted a multitude of paintings that examined the suffering and betrayal she felt upon divorcing the man she loved. One of the most captivating pieces of art was Las Dos Fridas. Kahlo explains how in this painting she tried to capture two different Fridas that represented 2 separate things. One of the Fridas was the one that Diego Rivera once loved and the other Frida is the one that Diego no longer wanted to be with. On page 279, it says that “[The Two Fridas] are left abandoned by Diego, [Frida] is holding her own hand and links her two selves with a blood vein… The Two Fridas is an image of self- nurture: Frida comforts, guards and fortifies herself” (Herrera, 1983, 279). The painting goes on to show how without Diego she is all she has. She felt hurt and in pain but she couldn't let that keep her from doing what she loved to do, which was paint. Her divorce with Diego Rivera punctured a hole in Kahlo’s heart—she truly loved him. She used that pain to inspire her art pieces that get lots of popularity. Her ability to have felt emotional pain led her to fight for more recognition for her art. She wasn’t only known in Mexico, but in several parts of the United States as well. Once she became known outside her Motherland, she knew she had become famous. Her ability to be known in the United States allowed for her to earn lots of money for her

In much of her art Kahlo was able to express the loneliness she felt, an example can be The Wounded Table. In this piece of art, Frida was on stage in a scene where she was accompanied by her fawn, niece and nephew, a skeleton, and a Judas. However, their company wasn’t so gratifying. In Frida, Herrera is describing the painting by saying “the characters are in a moment of suspended animation, like actors just after the curtain is raised…they seem frozen by the heroine’s panicked loneliness” (Herrera, 1983, 280). Its like they say, even though you’re surrounded by many people you still feel the sense of loneliness when they aren't providing the necessary affection that is needed. Although Frida would go to parties, and art shows and different theatre events, she still felt lonely because Diego Rivera divorced her. Although, Kahlo was quite famous, her ability to display loneliness in her art work allowed the viewers of her art to feel the fragility of humanity. People could relate to her art because they understood what loneliness felt like. Many Mexicans and Mexican Americans particularly understood that concept because they had family that would leave the country in search of a stable income. In 1942, the Bracero Programs began to take place, where many Mexican