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Frida Kahlo (Biography) Few artists have captured the public's imagination with the force of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. During her lifetime, she was best known as the flamboyant wife of celebrated muralist Diego Rivera. Theirs was a tumultuous relationship: Rivera declared himself to be "unfit for fidelity." As if to assuage her pain, Kahlo recorded the vicissitudes of her marriage in paint. She also recorded the misery of her deteriorating health--the orthopedic corsets that she was forced to wear, the numerous spinal surgeries, the miscarriages and therapeutic abortions. The artist's sometimes harrowing imagery is mitigated by an intentional primitivism and small scale, as well as by her sardonic humor and extraordinary imagination. It features the artist's most renowned
work--the hauntingly seductive and often brutal self-portraits--as well as
a selection of key portraits and still lifes; more than 100 color plates,
from Kahlo's earliest works, made in 1926, to her last, in 1954; critical
essays by Elizabeth Carpenter, Hayden Herrera and Victor Zamudio-Taylor;
and a selection of photographs of Kahlo and Rivera by preeminent
photographers of the period, including Manuel Alvarez Bravo, Lola Alvarez
Bravo, Gisele Freund, Tina Modotti and Nickolas Muray. The catalogue also
contains snapshots from the artist's own photo albums of Kahlo with family
and friends such as Andre Breton and Leon Trotsky--some of which have
never been published, and several of which Kahlo inscribed with
dedications, effaced with self-deprecating marks or kissed with a lipstick
trace--plus an extensive illustrated timeline, selected bibliography,
exhibition history and index.
Frida Kahlo: The Paintings (Book) Herrera's ( Frida , LJ 1/83) beautifully produced book is laden with large color plates and dozens of photos of Kahlo, Diego Rivera, and their cronies. It improves upon Zamora by providing perhaps the most direct analysis of Kahlo's life and art within one volume to date. More Frida Kalho Books
Salma Hayek makes up for many bad movies with her fierce
performance in this sumptuous film. Hayek plays the Mexican surrealist
painter Frida Kahlo, whose tempestuous life with her unfaithful husband,
muralist Diego Rivera (Alfred Molina), drives the story of Frida.
Maverick director Julie Taymor (Titus, the Broadway stage
production of The Lion King) pulls out a wealth of gorgeous visuals
to capture everything from the horrific bus accident that damaged Kahlo's
spine to her and Rivera's trip to New York City, where Rivera's political
leanings ruptured a commission from the Rockefeller family. Though the
script spends too much time telling us how great Frida's painting is
(rather than trusting in the power of the images themselves), Taymor's
dynamic energy and Kahlo's forceful personality give Frida genuine
emotional impact. The superb cast includes Roger Rees, Valeria Golino,
Ashley Judd, Geoffrey Rush, Antonio Banderas, and Edward Norton. --Bret
Fetzer
The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo (PBS Home Video) Never before has the extraordinary life of the Mexican
artist Frida Kahlo been framed in relation to the full spectrum of the
historical and cultural influences that created her. The Life and Times of
Frida Kahlo explores the 20th-century icon who became an international
sensation in the worlds of modern art and radical politics. Among those
interviewed in the documentary are Carlos Fuentes and Carlos Monsivais.
The film is narrated by Rita Moreno; Mexican singer Lila Downs is the
voice of Frida Kahlo.
Portrait of the Mexican artist who began painting at age 15 while convalescing from a serious accident. Frida Kahlo sent her work to the great Diego Rivera, whom she later married. Pain, which dogged her all her life, and the suffering of women, are recurring and indelible themes in her often shocking works. Characterized by vibrant imagery, many of her pictures are striking self-portraits. More Frida DVDs & Videos
Frida Kahlo 2009 Wall Calendar More Frida: |
