Strength of a Woman

"I paint self portraits because I am the only person I know best. 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 considerations."

Frida Khalo's life was filled with physical and emotional pain, which is apparent in her paintings. They show her feelings of heartbreak, love, life, death and events in her life. The most influential event in her Frida's life was probably the most tragic one. When she was 18, she was involved in a bus accident, which left her body almost destroyed. Her spine and pelvis were broken in 3 places and she was skewered by a metal handrail which entered her hip and exited her vagina. The doctors did not expect her to live; Because of this accident, Frida was bed ridden, which was when she started to paint. Painting became essential to her as because of a result of the accident, she was unable to have children. She had several miscarriages, which caused her to become depressed. Many of her paintings look violent, bloody and severe, but this represented how she was feeling. As her health worsened, doctors had to amputate her leg. "feet, what do I need them for, if I have wingsto fly?" Many of her paintings reflected her depression, often including skeletons and other grim symbols. Frida passed on July 13th 1954. She had a gift for communicating her emotions though painting. She is an amazing woman for what she endured and an inspiration of strength.



ME AND MY DOLL:
this painting shows as a substitute for children,
she collected dolls and kept many pets. The expression
on her face is a sad, lonely one and the emptiness of the
room projects feelings of emptiness.













SELD PORTRAIT WITH NECKLACE OF THORNS
In this portrait, Frida unraveled Christ's crown of
thorns, and wears it as a necklace, symbolising her
Christianity. The dead hummingbird is a traditional
Mexican symbol to bring luck in love. The black cat
is a symbol of bad luck and death, and the Monkey
is a symbol of the Devil.



SELF PORTRAIT WITH A MONKEY:
In Mexican mythology, the monkey is the patron of dance, but also
a symbol of lust. Here Frida portrays the monkey as a living, tender being.