Art Captions

Author notes

0045. The Two Fridas.

CornTown

on Feb. 25, 2010

By Frida Kahlo. (1907-1954)
Circa. 1939
Surrealism

Frida Kahlo is most well known for her self portraits. When questioned about her subject matter, in an interview Kahlo replied "I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best.". Kahlo began her self portraits after she was in a car accident, and usually, these self portraits are depictions of pain and sadness. Many also include images built upon Mexican traditional such as this painting.“The two Fridas”. Here, we see the artist wearing both a traditional Mexican dress as well as a white western gown. Her veins in her heart connect the two together, yet we see that the Frida in white has also cut one of the veins with scissors, almost as though she is trying to cut herself off from another body and personality she does not want.

Though considered a surrealist painter, Kahlo insisted, "I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.".