Frida Khalo Essay

434 Words2 Pages
“Artworks use visual language of signs and symbols that can be read”.
Visual language is used in art to give meaning to artworks. Numerous artist use signs and symbols to convey a message, communicate ideas, or even express their thoughts, beliefs and feelings. This communication is vital to artists as it gives them a means of communicating directly to their audience. Some artists who use symbolism in their artworks include: Frida Khalo, Peter Booth and Hieronymus Bosch.
Frida Khalo (‘Khalo’) was an artist who frequently used signs and symbols in her artworks. She was a Mexican artist whom today is known as one of the greatest visual artists in history. Kahlo’s artworks depict the indigenous culture of her country in a style of combining realism, symbolism and surrealism. “I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best”. 55 of Kahlo’s 143 works of art were self-portraits, which consistently incorporated symbolic portrayals of her physical and psychological wounds.
Kahlo’s former husband, Diego Rivera a famous muralist was often depicted in her artworks; “Diego and I” was one of a many self-portraits that illustrated their troubled relationship. As Khalo’s hair remains loose and wraps around her neck it suggests that she is suffocating, that without Diego her very breath is taken away. The three tears could also be interpreted as tears of pain and suffering in which she has endured. As Frida once said “I suffered two grave accidents in my life. One in which a streetcar knocked me down… the other accident is Diego”. The detached head of Diego that is perched above Khalo’s dark mono-brow suggests that he was always on her mind and by the inclusion of the third eye it could represent Khalo’s admiration towards Diego and his wisdom.
“Self-portrait with thorn necklace and hummingbird” is another example of Khalo’s self-portraits
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