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The Two FridasThe Two Fridas © Schalkwijk/Art Resource, NY © 2013 Banco de México Diego Rivera Frida Kahlo Museums Trust, Mexico, D.F./Artists Rights Society (ARS), New York

The Two Fridas

Frida Kahlo. 1939 C.E. Oil on canvas.

Curator Note

"Paintied during her divorce from Diego Rivera, this double self-portrait expresses Kahlo's split identity. Ideally, the "Mexican Frida" (right) in traditional Tehuana dress was loved by Diego, while the "European Frida" (left) in a Victorian wedding dress was rejected. The exposed hearts and shared bloodline depict her emotional pain and physical suffering."

Form

  • Double self-portrait.
  • Surrealist elements (exposed hearts, stormy sky).
  • Stiff, seated pose (like colonial portraiture).
  • Anatomical detail (veins/hearts).
  • Vibrant colors adjacent to white.

Function

  • To express her pain over the divorce.
  • To explore her dual heritage (Mestiza).
  • To validate her own reality ("I paint my own reality").
  • To act as a therapeutic release.
  • To assert independence (holding her own hand).

Content

  • Mexican Frida: holds a miniature of Diego; heart is whole.
  • European Frida: holds a hemostat clamping a bleeding vein; heart is broken.
  • The blood drips onto the white dress: flowers/miscarriage/surgery.
  • The vein connects the two: they sustain each other.
  • Stormy sky: turmoil.

Context

  • Kahlo had a German father and Mexican mother.
  • Suffered lifelong pain from a bus accident (polio/spine).
  • Rivera encouraged her Mexican identity.
  • Surrealists claimed her, but she rejected the label.
  • Personal diary on canvas.