I recommend reading Herrera's book in concert with seeing this exhibition because Frida’s life experiences were so intertwined with her paintings. Of the major artists I can think of who made as much of the self-portrait as Frida did, Rembrandt van Rijn is the one who comes most quickly to mind. I think it would be a mistake, though, to attempt comparing Frida’s abilities to those of Rembrandt. She can’t be blamed for that, since, especially in portraiture, no one has ever been as able as he was. To see a number of his self-portraits allows the viewer to understand this one man’s emotions almost in their entirety. The truth-telling of which Rembrandt was capable – so often quietly ghastly emotional truths, the disappointments in his life that one can see in so many of the portraits, and the richness of it conveyed so well by the way his brush brought him to life - has no equal.
But looking at Frida’s self-portraits causes the viewer to actually wince sometimes, to look away from the imagined pain of her travails. It is simply awful to consider what the physical pain she suffered must actually have been like and, especially, to imagine what it was like over so long a period, fully the last two-thirds of her life.
But, as with Rembrandt, all this would have escaped us if Frida had not been able to paint as well as she did. The pain that she felt was in her broken body. The pain we feel is carried by her brushwork, her sense of design, her ability to do a picture. Her truth lies in the finesse and vision she had as an artist. Indeed, because she paints so well, the pain is made even more palpable and difficult because it is presented so clearly. The broken spinal columns, the vaginal blood, the tears, the stoic look at the viewer, the exceptional backgrounds painted so beautifully and with such care; her clothing, her animals, the jewelry, the insects, her hair - all of it is fashioned with the precision and feeling of which only an artist with major ability and an intensely well-understood consciousness is capable.
Article comments
1 - Laura
Nice review! I was in SF a few days ago, but did not have enough time to go see the show. At first I thought you were trying to actually compare Rembrandt with Frida and I was getting ready to prepare a nice long response telling you why you were wrong to even try and do so. It just simply can not and should not be done. Then I realized what you were actually doing... (good job you made me think!)
Aesthetically, I would probably choose Rembrandt over Frida Kahlo, but in almost every other way, they are two remarkably different artists. Indeed, Rembrandt is one of the best, but for her time and place and what she set out to do (or didn't set out to do), Frida Kahlo should certainly share a spot with Rembrandt on the list of greatest artists. Though filled with a lot of sadness and pain, the story of Frida Kahlo is a beautiful one and her work definitely portrays that.
"I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration." -Frida Kahlo
"I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best." -Frida Kahlo
" I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality." -Frida Kahlo
2 - Terence Clarke
Hello Laura:
Thank you. Yes, one takes his chances comparing anyone to Rembrandt. I had seen individual paintings by Frida here and there, but I'd never seen as large a presentation of her work as this one is. The show is a smash hit, with huge crowds. But these days, given Frida's fame, that's to be expected. I only hope that the people in line at the exhibition do understand how fine an artist she was and, above all, that she was not merely a talented victim of circumstance.
Thanks also, by the way, for the quotes from Frida. One of the real charms of Hayden Herrera's biography is that she allows Frida to speak for herself very often, through quotes from interviews and, principally, from her letters. She's best in Spanish, of course. But she wrote a very fine English too, often salted with a lot of humor.
Thanks again,
Terry
3 - Bliffle
Good article. I always enjoy your articles, in fact.
A few years ago, 2000 in fact, I was pleased to tour Robert Bradys home, now a public museum, and quite interesting, in Cuernavaca and find therein several of Kahlos works.
4 - Jet Gardner
"...A few years ago, 2000 in fact," Bliff you mean you're... Jesus?