Frida kahlo
- 2. TASK: 1. On the second page of your new book write ‘Frida Kahlo’ in the centre of the page and create a mind map of notes as I go through the PowerPoint of information. Write down any important dates, places, names of people and facts about her life.
- 3. Artist Frida Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in Mexico City, Mexico. Considered one of Mexico's greatest artists, Frida Kahlo began painting after she was severely injured in a bus accident. Kahlo later became politically active and married fellow artist Diego Rivera in 1929. She exhibited her paintings in Paris and Mexico before her death in 1954.
- 4. Around the age of 6, she contracted polio, which caused her to be bedridden for nine months. While she did recover from the illness, she limped when she walked because the disease had damaged her right leg and foot. Her father encouraged her to play soccer, go swimming, and even wrestle -- highly unusual moves for a girl at the time -- to help aid in her recovery.
- 5. In 1922, Kahlo enrolled at the renowned National Preparatory School. She was one of the few female students to attend the school, and she became known for her jovial spirit and her love of traditional and colorful clothes and jewelry.
- 6. On September 17, 1925, Kahlo and Gómez Arias were traveling together on a bus when the vehicle collided with a streetcar. She suffered serious injuries as a result of the accident, including a broken spinal column, a broken collarbone, broken ribs, a broken pelvis, eleven fractures in her right leg, a crushed and dislocated right foot, and a dislocated shoulder. Also, an iron handrail pierced her abdomen and her uterus. After staying at the Red Cross Hospital in Mexico City for several weeks, Kahlo returned home to recuperate further. She began painting during her recovery and finished her first self-portrait the following year.
- 7. While she never considered herself a Surrealist, Kahlo befriended one of the primary figures in that artistic and literary movement, Andre Breton, in 1938. That same year, she had a major exhibition at a New York City gallery, selling half of the 25 paintings shown there. Kahlo also received two commissions, including one from famed magazine editor Clare Boothe Luce, as a result of the show. In 1944, Kahlo painted The Broken Column, which depicted a nearly nude Frida split down the middle revealing her spine as a shattered decorative column. She also wears a surgical brace and her skin is studded with tacks or nails. Again, Kahlo shared her physical challenges through her art. Around this time, she had several surgeries and wore special corsets to try to fix her back. She would continue to seek a variety of treatments for her chronic physical pain with little success.
- 8. Her health issues became nearly all-consuming in 1950. After being diagnosed with gangrene in her right foot, Kahlo spent nine months in the hospital and had several operations during this time. Deeply depressed, Kahlo was hospitalized again in April 1954 because of poor health and died July 13th. Since her death, Kahlo’s fame as an artist has only grown. Her beloved Blue House was opened as a museum in 1958. The feminist movement of the 1970s led to renewed interest in her life and work, as Kahlo was viewed by many as an icon of female creativity. In 1983, Hayden Herrera’s book on the artist, A Biography of Frida Kahlo, also helped to stir up interest this great artist. More recently, her life was the subject of a 2002 film entitled Frida, starring Salma Hayek as the artist and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera. Directed by Julie Taymor, the film was nominated for six Academy Awards and won for Best Makeup and Original Score.
- 9. TASK: 1. On the second page of your new book write ‘Frida Kahlo’ in the centre of the page and create a mind map of notes as I go through the PowerPoint of information. Write down any important dates, places, names of people and facts about her life. 2. Using the information from your mind map, write at least 3 – 4 paragraphs about Frida Kahlo's life and career in your own words. Remember to use full sentences and correct vocabulary. 3. Stick the 4 images that I have handed out in your book and choose one of them to copy. Fill the whole page and add colour.
- 10. TASK: 4. Using the computer find 4 objects that you feel represent a part of who you are. 5. Produce a copy of each of these images with a brief explanation as to how they relate to your life. 6. Produce a self portrait from the photograph that was taken in class and add some or all of the objects from the previous task in the background of the image.