Frida Kahlo Influences

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Perhaps the most famous and recognizable self-portraits in existence are those of Frida Kahlo. She has gained the status of pop icon in recent years and during her lifetime she was known more for her character and relationship with Diego Rivera more than her art itself
Kahlo’s art has a distinct style and her influences are many. Much of her subject matter was inner feelings and ambitions, she painted her self with such frequency further supports that she was her own central subject. The stories she paints are personal, but on many levels can be relatable. She used certain parts of traditional portraiture. Among them is the plantation of scenery and objects to reveal something about the person. In addition to background objects, she tells
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The accident crushed her pelvis and one of her legs, and also impaled her lower abdomen with a rail. She had thirty-two operations throughout her lifetime and was never able to be physically active or bear children
This accident would affect her life dramatically and shape her into the person she had become. While she was bedridden, the easiest subject for her to paint was her self. Soon after recovering, she drew and painted images of the accident that had occurred. Her emotional and physical pain would show up in her work ever after this stage of her life.
When she was nineteen, she completed her Self Portrait with a Velvet Dress (1926). The influence of Renaissance artists is apparent with her extended neck and limbs, pale, smooth skin and European dress. In 1929 she met the muralist Diego Rivera, who would soon become her husband. His art influenced her painting technique. Kahlo’s style became more in alignment with Mexican folk-art. This allowed her to portray gory images that would otherwise be too disturbing to look at.
Kahlo’s portraits became more flat looking. Her style that often mimicked Mexican retablo paintings, allowed the viewer to observe scenes from a distance, she also incorporated some Catholic symbolism and