Frida, The two Frida's, 1939 by Atelier Liesjes

About "Frida, The two Frida's, 1939"

by Atelier Liesjes

About the artwork

Frida's work placed Mexican art on the international stage. Her style was figurative and self-taught, with elements of the fantastic and an emphasis on her own individual, biographical perspective. Her self-referential art, now a media phenomenon, emerged from the development of her portraiture, which from the beginning became her most effective means of expressing a certain discomfort about exploring her own personality.

In 1938, André Breton labelled Kahlo's work surrealist, which led to "Las Dos Fridas" (The Two Fridas) being exhibited at the "International Exhibition of Surrealism" organised by the Gallery of Mexican Art in 1940.

Kahlo painted this work on her. returned to Mexico after her divorce from Diego Rivera, with whom she had lived in Detroit, Michigan. This particular painting shows a split in two identities: Frida dressed in a white lace dress with European-style embroidery, and Frida in a traditional Tehuana dress, referring to the dress Diego was so fond of. The hearts of both Frida's are visible and connected: the first has cut her artery with scissors, staining her white skirt, and the other is holding a small portrait of Rivera. The clouds in the background give the scene a sense of doom. This painting was acquired directly from the artist by the INBA (Mexican National Institute of Fine Arts) in 1947 and transferred to the MAM (Museum of Modern Art) on 28 December 1966.