“I paint myself because I am so often alone, because I am the subject I know best “

Frida kahlo is a famous artist whose name probably rings a bell. During her time ( first half of the 20th century) she transcended everything- from culture norms (taboo subjects like abortion, miscarriage and gender identity) to feminine beauty ideals (you might know her for her faint moustache and unibrow that she was known to darken with a black pencil).

When she was 18, she was in a bus accident and was impaled by a hand rail. She broke her spine, collarbone, pelvis, right leg, some ribs and a foot. This accident and her resulted infertility were persistent subjects in her work.

Her style varies, as some say it’s “folk art” with her use of mexican visual traditions and use of color. Others say her style is surreal because she used so many visual metaphors, but she always claimed that she was a realist. By painting herself she paints her emotions and her life, they speak about love and despair, pain and loneliness, but they always have an underlying sense of pride and defiance. 

“Feet, what do i need you for when i have wings to fly?”