Frida Kahlo Times Two

FRIDA KAHLO'S DUAS FRIDAS (1939)

is the second piece of Frida's which I am analyzing. Like the last, this is a self-portrait. However, this piece is special as it portrays two Frida Kahlo's tied together by the veins of the heart. There are definitely some underlying messages present however. Also we can begin to see themes within the style of her paintings.

This piece was created after one of her many heartbreaking separations with Diego Rivera. This one specifically came about after their divorce. Clearly she is expressing her sorrow, loss of identity and separation of self. Beginning with her faces and styles, she portrays her left-hand figure with a more famine face and pure white classic dress while not he right-hand side she shows the audience a more masculine side of her face and her attire is more like the festive, colorful, cultural style she is known for. It seems that the person on the right, in attire that portrays her identity very clearly but then a face which projects more masculinity and a full heart could be that piece of her which Rivera took in the separation. The pieces which made her feel alive. It is said that Rivera liked her mustache and didn't want to shave it. Also that they embodied the opposite gender qualities of each other and completed the other. Therefore, this split identity piece would make a lot of sense for her heart. Speaking of hearts, if we look at the heart on the left side it looks more hollow and empty, almost as if Frida is making a play that she is a shell of herself. Her heartstring wrap around herself t o her identical self into the external heart. I think it's also interesting that she represents her heart 'on her sleeve', metaphorically obviously. Lastly it's hard to decipher the tool in her hand on the right side. But on the left we see her holding scissors which are clipping the vein which is coming from her heart. The blood is staining her white dress. This could symbolize the remembering of her many miscarriages.

What a unique way of representation and self-portraitism Frida Kahlo had. Beautiful. Strong. And u

nique.