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 Kalo se vraćala kući iz škole u Meksiko Sitiju kada se autobus u kojem je bila sudario sa tramvajem. Zadobila je skoro smrtonosne povrede kičme, karlice i kukova, zbog čega je mesecima 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.
Tokom svog oporavka, prikačila je poseban štafelaj za krevet kako bi vežbala slikanje. Kada je krenula da radi, slikala je svet onako kako ga je ona videla. Tokom svog života, dokazaće se kao stvaralac i muza iza izvanrednih umetničkih dela.
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 susreli sa njenim pogledom, njena dela nam pružaju priliku da vidimo svet kroz njene oči. Slikala je porodicu i prijatelje, mrtvu prirodu i duhovne scene, ali njeni očaravajući autoportreti su ti zbog kojih je pridobila pažnju sveta.
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.
Na jednom od ranijih radova, „Autoportretu u somotskoj haljini", fokus je na njenim obrvama, dlakama na licu, dugačkom vratu i prodornom pogledu. Te odlike je zadržala u daljem radu, ali Kalo je počela da prikazuje sebe na neobične načine. Na primer, na „Slomljenom stubu" koristi simbolizam, religiozne motive i pejzaž u pukotinama
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.
da prikaže svoje fizičko i psihičko stanje. Godine 1928. Kalo je započela vezu sa slikarom, Dijegom Riverom. Postali su doživotni partneri i zajedno odavali sliku ekscentričnosti. Zajedno su putovali svetom i posvetili se umetnosti, komunističkoj politici 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.
Kalo i Rivera su bili izuzetno privučeni „Meksikanidadu“, pokretu koji je veličao nacionalnu kulturu nakon meksičke revolucije. Preko dana, Kalo bi nosila tradicionalnu tevantepešku haljinu i tako živela u duhu te nacije. Na svojim slikama stalno se osvrtala na meksičko narodno slikanje, koristeći svetle boje i slikajući motive poput 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 slika ogromnih lebdećih cvetova, lelujavih pejzaža, izmeštenih delova tela i demonskih oblaka, Kalo često povezuju sa nadrealizmom. Ali, dok su nadrealisti koristili motive nestvarnog da bi prikazali podsvest, Kalo ih je koristila kako bi prikazala svoje fizičko stanje 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 motiva na koja se ona najviše fokusira jesu njeni invaliditeti i njen brak. Kao posledica saobraćajne nesreće, ceo život imala je problema sa zdravljem i dosta vremena je provela u bolnicama. U svojim radovima često se bavila fizičkim i psihičkim efektima svojih fizičkih nedostataka. Slikala je sebe u agoniji, oporavljajući se od operacija, kao i predmete poput svoje proteze za leđa i invalidskih 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.
Njena veza sa Riverom bila je burna, obeležena prevarama sa obe strane. U jednom trenutku su se čak i razveli, ali se ponovo venčali godinu dana kasnije. Tokom ovog perioda, Kalo je naslikala dupli autoportret „Dve Fride" koji svedoči o bolu nakon gubitka i sada već podvojenoj svesti o sebi.
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 sa leve strane slomljenog je srca. Iz tog srca ide krv i pada na njenu staromodnu viktorijansku haljinu. Ta Frida predstavlja umetnicu koju je ranila prošlost, ali ujedno je i arterijom povezana sa drugom Fridom. Ova Frida nosi tevantepešku haljinu i iako se seća Dijega u vidu male slike u njenoj ruci, njeno srce je netaknuto. Zajedno, ove dve figure prikazuju osobu koja stoji između prošlosti i sadašnjosti, samostalnosti i zavisnosti.
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.
Kalo je umrla 1954. godine, u 47. godini života. U godinama nakon svoje smrti, stekla je veliku slavu koja traje i do dana današnjeg. I iako se slika o njenom životu proširila, celokupno delo Fride Kalo podseća nas da ne postoji jednostavan način da opišemo život, delo i zaveštanje žene iza legende. Ona je predstavila više verzija svog pogleda na stvarnost života i tako nam ponudila da pogledamo u ogledala njene duše.