A Visit with Frida

 

Those of you who have read my posts know that I have an admiration for the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.  Ever since my visit to Mexico City and the Frida Kahlo museum, I seek out opportunities to visit her and spend several hours with Frida.  In the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York hangs a single and very small painting of a Frida self-portrait.  She is sitting in a chair with cropped hair.  She stares at you defiantly and is dressed in an oversized man’s suit with a crimson shirt.  The shirt is from her former husband Diego Rivera who she just recently divorced.  On the ground, are shards of hair cuttings symbolizing her pain over the loss of Diego.  Above are the lyrics from a Mexican folk song saying “It was because of your hair that I loved you.  Now that you are bald I don’t want you.”  

The beauty of art is it leaves interpretation to the viewer.  In this case, Frida left little to interpretation.  To me this depicts a lady who took the one thing her ex-husband loved, her hair, and cut it off despite Diego. As if to say “if you don’t want me then nobody else can have me.”  Her masculine suit is in strong contrast to the feminine dangling earrings and high heeled shoes.  The hair strewn across the room is painted in great detail.  By displaying her cut hair in this fashion, Frida essentially tells Diego to bug off.

Others interpret this painting as an act of mourning.  I know from experience how creativity and art can help a person deal with loss of a loved one.  I for example, write poetry.  Although Frida was definitely dealing with great pain during these times, I feel she wanted to exercise her independence in the painting rather that tell Diego how she was suffering.

When we suffer, the pain expresses itself in different ways.  We may cry, or hurt inside.  Using art to heal can be very helpful. Whether this be a poem, writing in a journal or painting, we need a way to express ourselves and release our grief.  After some time of grieving we feel the need to move on.  It takes great courage to take steps toward grief recovery, but it is important that we look toward the future and not dwell in the past.

Frida’s courage inspires me.  Her ability to look at her loss as an opportunity to define herself and self-examine helps me feel comfortable doing the same.  I do this to understand who I am and what is important.  Something I should have done many years ago.

Take a moment to ask yourself, who you are and what defines you?