Frida: Timeless

Long time readers know that I have a special fondness for Frida Kahlo.  Her art and heart have inspired me and I hope this post inspires you too.  

During our family reunion I was able to see the special Frida Kahlo  exhibit in Illinois.  

It was planned for summer of 2020....but as we all know, Covid delayed many events, including this one.

It was held in a beautiful new facility in my old hometown of Glen Ellyn, Illinois where we lived for 12 years in 3 different homes.

Frida was born in Mexico in 1907 and died at the age of 47.   She had a tumultuous marriage to Diego Rivera the famous muralist painter.  You can read more about her on the MAC website here.

A recreation of her bed where she painted.  Notice the mirror above used for her self portraits and to paint her body casts.

Here is a photo of her real bedroom in Mexico. 

Frida suffered Polio as a child, and when she was 18, she was in a horrific bus accident where she impaled by a long metal pipe causing damage to her pelvis and spine along with many other injuries. 

A replica of one of her many body casts which she painted.

She lived in a world of pain and endured 35 surgeries.  She wore many different corrests to stabilize her torso.

Despite her pain, she loved to wear beautiful colorful skirts and blouses in the Mexican Style.

They also helped to hide her disfigured polio leg and the corsets.  Beautiful photos of Frida with flowers in her hair.

Frida on Color:

Frida painted 200 paintings in her lifetime.  Here are a just of few of my favorite paintings in this exhibit.

This is a disturbing painting (one of many she pained) but I admire her bravery and honesty in creating it and painting the frame.

This is a painting that depicts the pain Frida suffered after a miscarriage while in Detroit.  She longed to be a mother and was never able to fulfill that dream.  It left a deep scar on her emotionally.

I was very surprised at the size of the painting, which is quite small but very detailed.  It is heartbreaking and very intimate, as are many of her biographical paintings. I didn't get a photo of the placard, so here is a description from a book.

Here are the two art books of her art that I own. 

A beautiful painting on copper of flowers.

Wonderful explanations of her art and her life.

I went to the exhibit with my beautiful niece, Katie from Seattle and Rich's cousin, Sally, from MA.    We each took in the exhibit at our own paces and spent time on the things that were interesting to each of us.   

Here is a challenge quilt I made several years ago giving honor to Frida. I used the Madonna as my inspiration.

It is all fused and collaged with string piecing. 

Here is another Frida adjacent post that I wrote years ago.

I highly recommend the movie Frida, starring Salma Hayek.  You can see it on HBO or rent it on Amazon and other streaming services.  It was my first real introduction to her life story.

If you are still here reading about Frida, thank you!

She has given me so much inspiration and an opportunity to be grateful for my life.

xo