¡Viva Frida!

Anyone who knows me will tell you that I have been a huge fan of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo since I first discovered her work in art class back in high school. Not only was she an extraordinary and intriguing artist and person, but her paintings are striking, raw, and very poetic. Most would categorize her work as surrealism, but to Frida her paintings were her reality - a reality of heartache and the chronic physical pain she had to endure due to a trolley accident that fractured her spine, and shattered her pelvis. She only painted what she knew, and that is what I love about her the most.

Today is her birthday. Frida would have celebrated 103 years of life if she did not pass away in 1954 at the age of 47. This post is dedicated to her life and work. Feliz Cumpleaños Frida! You live on forever!

"I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration."

Self-portrait 1926, Oil on canvas

Lo Que el Agua me Dio, 1938

Las Dos Fridas, 1939, Oil on canvas

"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best."

Self-portrait 1940, Oil on canvas

Diego en Mi Mente, 1943, Oil on masonite

"There have been two great accidents in my life. One was the trolley, and the other was Diego. Diego was by far the worst."

Raices, 1943, Oil on sheet metal

La Colomna Rota, 1944

El Venadito, 1946, Oil on masonite

"Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?"

Self-portrait with portrait of Dr. Faril, 1951, Oil on canvas

For more on the wonderful Frida Kahlo visit her official artist website.