Frida Kahlo de Rivera (July 6, 1907 July 13, 1954) was a Mexican painter, born

in Coyoacn. Perhaps best known for her self-portraits, Kahlo's work is

remembered for its "pain and passion", and its intense, vibrant colors. Her work
has been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition,
and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and
form.
I don't paint dreams or nightmares, I paint my own reality.
-Frida Kahlo.
Kahlo suffered lifelong health problems, many of which stemmed from a traffic
accident in her teenage years. These issues are reflected in her works, more than
half of which are self-portraits of one sort or another. Kahlo suggested, "I paint
myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know
best." She also stated, "I was born a bitch. I was born a painter.
Frida was one of four daughters born to a Hungarian-Jewish father and a mother of
Spanish and Mexican Indian descent. She did not originally plan to become an
artista. At the age of 18, she was seriously injured in a bus accident. She endured
more than 30 operations in her lifetime and during her convalescence she began to
paint. Her paintings, mostly self-portraits and still life, were deliberately nave, and
filled with the colors and forms of Mexican folk art. At 22 she married the famous
Mexican muralist Diego Rivera, 20 years her senior. Their stormy, passionate
relationship survived infidelities, the pressures of careers, divorce, remarriage,
Frida's bi-sexual affairs, her poor health and her inability to have children. Frida
once said: "I suffered two grave accidents in my lifeOne in which a streetcar
knocked me down and the other was Diego." The streetcar accident left her
crippled physically and what's more Rivera crippled her emotionally.
During her lifetime, Frida created some 200 paintings, drawings and sketches
related to her experiences in life, physical and emotional pain and her turbulent
relationship with Diego. She produced 143 paintings, 55 of which are self-portraits.
When asked why she painted so many self-portraits, Frida replied: "Because I am
so often alone....because I am the subject I know best."
In 1953, Frida Kahlo had her first solo exhibition in Mexico (the only one held in her
native country during her lifetime). "Her paintings are her biography."
This observation serves to explain why her work is so different from that of her
contemporaries. At the time of her exhibition opening, Frida's health was such that
her Doctor told her that she was not to leave her bed, however she insisted that
she was going to attend her opening, and, in Frida style, she did. She arrived in an
ambulance and her bed in the back of a truck. She was placed in her bed and four
men carried her in to the waiting guests.

Both Frida and Diego were very active in the Communist Party in Mexico. In early
July 1954, Frida made her last public appearance, when she participated in a
Communist street demonstration.
On the day after her death, mourners gathered at the crematorium to witness the
cremation of Mexico's greatest and most shocking painter. Soon to be an
international icon, Frida Kahlo knew how to give her fans one last unforgettable
goodbye. As the cries of her admirers filled the room, the sudden blast of heat from
the open incinerator doors caused her body to bolt upright. Her hair, now on fire
from the flames, blazed around her head like a halo. Frida's lips seemed to break
into a seductive grin just as the doors closed. Her last diary entry read: "I hope the
end is joyful - and I hope never to return -Frida.
Today, more than half a century after her death, her paintings fetch more money
than any other female artist. I really think that a visit to the Museo Frida Kahlo is
like taking a step back in time. All of her personal effects are displayed throughout
the house and everything seems to be just as she left it. One gets the feeling that
she still lives there but has just briefly stepped out to allow you to tour her private
sanctuary. She is gone now but her legacy will live on forever

Bibliography
- https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo
- http://www.biografiasyvidas.com/biografia/k/kahlo.htm
- https://www.tumblr.com/search/frida+kahlo