{"id":93277,"date":"2019-06-21T19:01:40","date_gmt":"2019-06-21T19:01:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/why-are-we-still-wild-about-frida-kahlo\/"},"modified":"2019-06-21T19:01:40","modified_gmt":"2019-06-21T19:01:40","slug":"why-are-we-still-wild-about-frida-kahlo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/why-are-we-still-wild-about-frida-kahlo\/","title":{"rendered":"Why are we still wild about Frida Kahlo?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\u201cSelf
\u201cSelf Portrait\u201d was painted in 1922 by Frida Kahlo.<\/span>Courtesy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Two hundred-fifty pages, 19,625 items.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how many products are available on Etsy.com<\/a> bearing the image or words or work of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo. Cupcake toppers, painted planters, lanyards \u2013 even items bearing the likeness of actress Salma Hayek, who played Kahlo in the 2002 movie \u201cFrida,\u201d may be purchased.<\/p>\n

Why is there such an enduring fan base around the artist, who died at age 47 in 1954?<\/p>\n

On Wednesday, Judith Reynolds will explore Kahlo\u2019s seemingly never-ending popularity in her presentation \u201cFridamania: The Art, Career and Cultural Legacy of Frida Kahlo,\u201d as part of Center of Southwest Studies\u2019 free Summer Lecture Series, this year themed \u201cHispanidad!\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\u201cSelf
\u201cSelf Portrait, 1925.\u201d<\/span>Courtesy<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

For art historian and Herald <\/em>contributor Reynolds, there are five possible reasons people are still so fascinated by Kahlo: Our celebrity culture, Kahlo\u2019s persona, the artist\u2019s tragic life, her highly accessible artistic style and Kahlo\u2019s self-disclosure in her work.<\/p>\n

Kahlo was born July 6, 1907, and while professionally she was a success, her personal life was fraught with drama, both physical and emotional, a life Reynolds sees as a story of pain, struggle and resilience. Because of early onset polio at age 6 and a horrendous 1925 bus accident at age 18, Kahlo had an extraordinary medical history, Reynolds said, noting that she underwent more than 30 spine operations, several foot operations and had four unsuccessful pregnancies. She wore various orthopedic devices throughout her life, and was in constant pain. Shortly before her death, her right leg was amputated, and she died a week after her 47th birthday.<\/p>\n

\u201cKahlo chronicled all of this in intense detail in her more than 40 self-portraits. I think people today latch onto her personal story of struggle, pain, persistence and resilience,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cMy view is that her life was complex, difficult, painful and, ultimately, tragic.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, especially in today\u2019s endless stream of celebrity news, Kahlo\u2019s life was the stuff of Page Six and TMZ.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<br><br>\u201cSelf
Courtesy<br><br>\u201cSelf Portrait with Monkey, 1940.\u201d<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Kahlo\u2019s life was full of drama, and she was catapulted into international fame in the 1930s partly because of her famous husband, Mexican muralist Diego Rivera \u2013 whom she married, divorced and remarried \u2013 Reynolds said. In time, her colorful and dramatic life superseded his, and she\u2019s now more famous as an artist than Rivera ever was.<\/p>\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the world we live in, and it\u2019s fueled by mass media,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cA small number of celebrities are elevated to superstar status and are kept there with fresh information, scandals, records, marital difficulties, exhibitions and commercial products.\u201d<\/p>\n

Part of Kahlo\u2019s lasting allure, Reynolds said, is also her persona \u2013 the way she looked. Close your eyes and picture Kahlo \u2013 what do you see? Hers was an iconic look, Reynolds said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAfter her student days, when she wore a school uniform and had short, curly hair, she changed her look for Diego. To please him and identify herself with her half-Mexican heritage, she dressed in a conventional, folklike, ultra-feminine manner: Tehuana outfits, long skirts and shawls, flowers in her upswept hair \u2013 a perfect Mexican wife,\u201d she said. \u201cShe was petite, pretty and she exaggerated her \u2018unibrow\u2019 to distinguish herself from other women.\u201d<\/p>\n

And through her highly accessible art was her use of self-disclosure: The good, the bad and the ugly. Kahlo chronicled her life and struggles \u2013 not so far removed from what we do today, Reynolds said.<\/p>\n

\"Courtesy<br><br>\u201cSelf
Courtesy<br><br>\u201cSelf Portrait with Monkey, 1945.\u201d<\/span>du1-i-syn<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cHistorians have labeled our era a Culture of Narcissism or the Therapeutic Age; it\u2019s interesting now that we\u2019ve morphed into the Age of the Selfie,\u201d she said. \u201cWhat better pioneer of self-disclosure than Frida Kahlo? She was a perfect personality and visual artist for our time.\u201d<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, much of Kahlo\u2019s struggle has been lost in her popularity, and in the undying commercial appeal of her life and art.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost of the for-profit Frida images and interpretations have been sanitized. She\u2019s been turned into a Barbie doll, socks, T-shirts, mugs, pins, iPhone covers and tote bags. Other than her physical resilience, the idolatry surprises me,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cI question how and why feminists and political activists have championed her. If people knew her story and not just the commercial imagery, it would be another matter. But that\u2019s how commercial exploitation works \u2013 change the image, sell the products. Print the legend, not the reality.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Reynolds, there is much to be taken from Kahlo\u2019s life and art.<\/p>\n

\u201cStand in awe of both,\u201d Reynolds said. \u201cShe lived an extraordinary life. She created indelible, autobiographical images.\u201d<\/p>\n

katie@durangoherald.com<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\n

If you go<\/h4>\n

What:<\/strong>
\n \u201cHispanidad!\u201d Center of Southwest Studies at Fort Lewis College\u2019s free Summer Lecture Series. H \u201cLa Fabulosa Fabiola (Cabeza de Baca): First Lady of New Mexican Cuisine,\u201d presented by Lois Rudnick, July 10; H \u201cLa Estrella del Pastor \u2013 Hispano Sheepherders from Colorado and New Mexico: Culture, Tradition and Sheepscapes,\u201d presented by Andy Gulliford, July 24; H \u201cHistoric Churches of New Mexico: A Visual Tour,\u201d presented by Frank Graziano, Aug. 7; H \u201cDocumentation of Three Hispano Cemeteries along the San Juan River,\u201d presented by Ruth Lambert, Aug. 21.
\n When:<\/strong>
\n 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays.
\n Where:<\/strong>
\n Lyceum Room, No. 120, Center of Southwest Studies, Fort Lewis College, 1000 Rim Drive.
\n More information:<\/strong>
\n Call 247-7456 or visit
\n swcenter.fortlewis.edu<\/a>
\n .<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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