The two paintings I found most interesting at the Frida Kahlo exhibit were Me and My Parrots and Self-Portrait with Monkeys. I liked these two the best because I like the animals in them. When I got to see the paintings up close the brush strokes really looked like feathers and fur. The colors in the paintings are warm and even though she is not smiling, she seems at peace with her animals. The parrots and monkeys are positioned on and near her reminded me of how kids would be lovingly by their moms. Meso American art influences can seen in these two paintings as well as the majority of her work. Her traditional hair style and dress is present in two paintings in particular. The influences seen in her other work are the figures that are depicted like Mayan or Olmec stone gods, the indigenous plants and fruits, and her ever present traditional braided hair with decorations and dress are all Meso American touches. My overall experience at the exhibit was great! I went on the weekend so it was very crowded and it took a while to get close enough to see the paintings. However, luckily for me I was short enough to be ushered into the front along with the many children in attendance because people could easily see over us. It was amazing and haunting (in a good way) to be so close to her art knowing that she touched them. She was once as close to the paintings that I was then so close to as well. It really gave me a lot of questions like where was she when she made this? What was she thinking? What was the weather like? Just all sorts of things. I feel like I got to see a very personal side to her with all of the extra photographs from her collection that I would not have been able to see otherwise. The paintings and the photographs help to explain each other in a way. It was really a great opportunity to see so many of her works in one place and to be able to experience even 1% of her was a gift.
3 comments:
Did you notice the monkey hands are very similar to her hair-do? I like your picture, but how does this relate to what we are studying.
These paintings also got my attention. It seems like she also loved animals. she includes them in a lot of her paintings.
I like how personally connected you felt while examining Frida's paintings. After going to the SFMoMA I felt emotionally drained, exhausted. I also tried to imagine Frida's life at the time that she created each painting. I really enjoyed the photography. I was able to compare Frida's paintings to the photos of her. She had an amazing ability to truly capture herself with each brush stroke and depict emotions that for most of us remain unsaid, the skeletons hidden deep within us.
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