In 1925, Frida Kahlo was on her way home from school in Mexico City when the bus she was riding collided with a streetcar. She suffered near-fatal injuries to her spine, pelvis and hips, and was bedridden for months afterward.
Godine 1925. Frida Kahlo vraćala se kući iz škole u Mexico Cityju kada se njezin autobus sudario s tramvajem. Zadobila je gotovo smrtonosne ozljede kralježnice, zdjelice i bokova te je mjesecima nakon toga bila prikovana za krevet.
During her recovery, she had a special easel attached to her bed so she could practice painting techniques. When she set to work, she began to paint the world according to her own singular vision. Over the course of her life, she would establish herself as the creator and muse behind extraordinary art.
Tijekom oporavka imala je poseban štafelaj pričvršćen za krevet kako bi mogla vježbati svoje slikarske tehnike. Kada se prihvatila posla počela je slikati svijet prema vlastitom individualnom pogledu. Tijekom života etablirala se kao kreatorica i muza izvanredne umjetnosti.
Though you may have met Kahlo's gaze before, her work provides an opportunity to see the world through her eyes. She painted friends and family, still lives and spiritual scenes; but it was her mesmerizing self-portraits which first caught the world’s attention.
Iako ste se možda već ranije susreli s njezinim pogledom, djela Fride Kahlo nude pogleda na svijet njezinim očima. Slikala je obitelj i prijatelje, mrtvu prirodu i duhovne scene; no njezini očaravajući autoportreti prvi su privukli pozornost svijeta.
In an early work, "Self Portrait with Velvet Dress," the focus is on her strong brows, facial hair, long neck and formidable stare. Such features remained, but Kahlo soon began to present herself in more unusual ways. For example, "The Broken Column" uses symbolism, religious imagery and a ruptured landscape to reveal her physical and mental state.
U djelu iz njezine rane faze, "Autoportret u baršunastoj haljini" fokus je na izraženim obrvama, brkovima, dugom vratu i čvrstom pogledu. Ta su se obilježja zadržala, no Kahlo se uskoro počela prikazivati na nešto neobičniji način. Primjerice, "Slomljeni stup" koristi simbolizam, religiozne motive i krajolik s pukotinama da prikaže svoje fizičko i psihičko stanje.
In 1928, Kahlo started dating fellow painter Diego Rivera. They became lifelong partners and cultivated an eccentric celebrity. Together, they traveled the world and dedicated themselves to art, Communist politics and Mexican nationalism.
Godine 1328. Kahlo započinje vezu sa slikarom Diegom Riverom. Vjenčali su se i vodili život ekscentričnih celebrityja. Zajedno su proputovali svijet, posvetili se umjetnosti, komunizmu i meksičkom nacionalizmu.
Kahlo and Rivera shared a deep affinity with Mexicanidad, a movement which celebrated indigenous culture after the Revolution. In her daily life, Kahlo wore traditional Tehuana dress and immersed herself in native spirituality. And in her work, she constantly referenced Mexican folk painting, incorporating its bright colors and references to death, religion and nature.
Kahlo i Riviera dijelili su duboku ljubav prema "Meksikanstvu", pokretu koji je slavio autohtonu kulturu nakon Meksičke revolucije. U svakodnevnom životu Kahlo bi nosila tradicionalnu Tehuana haljinu i interesirala se za autohtonu spiritualnost. A u svome radu neprestano je referirala meksičko narodno slikarstvo, inkorporirajući njegove jarke boje i referirajući motive smrti, religije i prirode.
With her imagery of giant floating flowers, undulating landscapes, transplanted body parts and billowing clouds of demons, Kahlo has often been associated with Surrealism. But while surrealists used dreamlike images to explore the unconscious mind, Kahlo used them to represent her physical body and life experiences.
Zbog njezinih slika divovskih plutajućih cvjetova, valovitih krajolika transplantiranih dijelova tijela i nabujalih oblaka demona Kahlo su često povezivali s nadrealizmom. Iako su nadrealisti koristili snovite slike da bi istražili podsvijest, Kahlo ih je koristila kako bi prikazala svoje tijelo i životna iskustva.
Two of her most-explored experiences were her physical disabilities and her marriage. As a result of the bus accident, she experienced life-long health complications and endured many hospitalizations. She often contemplated the physical and psychological effects of disability in her work; painting herself in agony, recuperating from operations, or including objects such as her back brace and wheelchair.
Dva događaja kojima se najviše bavila bili su njezin invaliditet i njezin brak. Zbog njezine autobusne nesreće cijelog su je života pratile zdravstvene komplikacije i česte hospitalizacije. Često je kontemplirala o fizičkim i psihološkim posljedicama invaliditeta u svojim radovima; slikajući sebe u agoniji, oporavljajući se od operacija ili uključujući objekte poput svoje proteze za leđa ili kolica.
Meanwhile, her relationship with Rivera was tempestuous, marked by infidelity on both sides. At one point they even divorced, then remarried a year later. During this period, she painted the double self-portrait "The Two Fridas," which speaks to the anguish of loss and a splintered sense of self.
U međuvremenu, njezin je odnos s Riverom bio buran, označile su ga nevjere s obje strane. U jednom trenutku čak su se i razveli i ponovno vjenčali za godinu dana. Tijekom tog razdoblja naslikala je dvostruki autoportret "Dvije Fride" koji govori o boli gubitka i podijeljenom osjećaju sebe.
The Frida to the left has a broken heart, which drips blood onto her old-fashioned Victorian dress. She symbolizes a version of the artist who is wounded by the past– but is also connected by an artery to a second self. This Frida is dressed in Tehuana attire– and although she remembers Diego with the tiny portrait in her hand, her heart remains intact. Together, the two suggest a position caught between past and present, individuality and dependency.
Frida slijeva ima slomljeno srce koje krvari i kaplje na njezinu starinsku viktorijansku haljinu. Ona simbolizira verziju umjetnice koja je ranjena u prošlosti no arterijom je povezana s drugom sobom. Ta je Frida obučena u Tehuana haljinu i iako se sjeća Diega na malom portretu u svojoj ruci njezino srce nije ranjeno. Zajedno, njih dvije sugeriraju položaj uhvaćen između prošlosti i sadašnjosti individualnosti i ovisnosti.
Kahlo died in 1954 at the age of 47. In the years after her death, she experienced a surge in popularity that has lasted to this day. And although her image has proliferated, Kahlo’s body of work reminds us that there are no simple truths about the life, work and legacy of the woman behind the icon. Rather, she put multiple versions of her reality on display– and provided us with a few entry-ways into the contents of her soul.
Kahlo je preminula 1954. u dobi od 47 godina. U godinama nakon njezine smrti njezina je popularnost narasla, a traje još i danas. Iako njezin image cvate djela Fride Kahlo podsjećaju na to da ne postoje jednostavne istine o životu, djelu i nasljeđu žene iza te ikone. Rekli bismo radije da nam je prikazala višestruke verzije svoje stvarnosti i ponudila nam nekoliko vrata do sadržaja svoje duše.