In remembrance
of her birthday two days ago, I wanted to do a post about Frida Kahlo. I not
only admire her vibrant paintings, but her spirit as well.
"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 de
Rivera (July 6, 1907 – July 13,
1954) was
a Mexican painter, born in Coyoacán. Perhaps
best known for her self-portraits, Kahlo's work is remembered for its
"pain and passion", and its intense, vibrant colors. Her work has
been celebrated in Mexico as emblematic of national and indigenous tradition,
and by feminists for its uncompromising depiction of the female experience and
form.
Kahlo suffered lifelong health problems, many of which
stemmed from a traffic accident in her teenage years. These issues are
reflected in her works, more than half of which are self-portraits of one sort
or another. Kahlo suggested, "I paint myself because I am so often alone
and because I am the subject I know best".
(fridakahlo.com)
"I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me, too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it’s true I’m here, and I’m just as strange as you."
"Nothing is worth more than laughter. It is strength to laugh and to abandon oneself, to be light."
"At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can."
xx