Description
In Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait there can be seen the artist standing on a stone/grave like pedestal with writing engraved on it, Kahlo is wearing a pink frilly dress that almost covers her feet, she is wearing cream white gloves that end just past her elbow, around her neck she is wearing a necklace that has red beads with three green leaf-like beads attached to it. Kahlo has her hair done up in a braided halo and is wearing makeup that makes her cheeks rosy and her lips a red hue that matches her necklace, Kahlo’s expression is pulling a slight smile displaying defiance. Near the end of Kahlo’s dress, you can slightly see her red shoes.
In the artist's hand, she is holding a cigarette facing to the right side of the painting while in her other hand she is holding the Mexican flag facing the left side of the painting. The way she is facing the objects in her hands is like she is trying to symbolise her surroundings.
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The Artist is standing in the middle of the painting separating the two sides of the painting, symbolising that they are divided. Kahlo Represents the borderline between Mexico and the U.S. On the left side of the painting symbolises Mexico.
In the foreground on the left side of the painting, there is the soil where you can view the roots of plants and above ground is natural plants that are local to Mexico. Above the plants there is a grey stone-like statue that has no feet and has deformed stubby arms, it has a small head that is smaller than its deformed body, on the statue it has a feminine face with shoulder-length hair connected to the body representing a fertility statue. To the left of the stone statue there is another statue coloured in shades of brown and closely resembles a baby standing, near the two statues closest to the grey statue there is a grey stone skull laying on its side and with its neck still attached.
In between the midground and background, on the far-left side of the painting behind the statues, there is a pile of brown coloured rocks in a big pile with some rocks scattered around in a small area.
In the background there is an old abandoned building that resembles an Aztec temple, it has two staircases leading to the top of the temple then another two sets of staircases. Near the left of the temple, it is broken, missing pieces and is eroding away.
At the very top of the painting are two clouds, the one closest to the left is white and slightly covered by a shadow leading down the painting at an angle. In front of the white cloud is a sun and has form resembling a face, the sun is spitting fire out of its mouth spreading in three streaks. Around the sun Kahlo painted lines making it have the effect of glowing or radiating.
Next to the right side of the sun and cloud, there is another cloud but grey, touching the other cloud, between the two clouds is an orange lightning bolt splitting into smaller pieces. The grey cloud has a waxing crescent moon at the front, facing the left of the painting and is facing the thunderbolt, the moon is surrounded by yellow making it glow, like the sun the moon has a face. The Sun and Moon are Gods from Mexican religion.
On the right side of Kahlo symbolises America. The foreground on the right side of the painting you can see below the soil, there are wires leading from above ground from the manmade machines lead underground to the left side of the painting touching the roots of the Mexican plants and above ground one wire coming from the motor plugs into the stone pedestal Kahlo is standing on. The technologies above ground resemble three types of machines, the closes machine to the right closely resembles a speaker coloured red, the machine in the middle resembles a high-tech light bulb and the last machine closes to the left next to the pedestal resembles a motor.
Near the mid-ground of the right side of the painting, there are four sets of big pipes leading down to the foreground and cutting off the painting, the factory pipes are all light blue. Behind the factory pipes, there is an old-style factory with four chimneys on top spilling out smoke/pollution into the sky causing the right side of the painting to be a dark polluted grey. On the chimneys, letters are spelling out “FORD”, representing Henry Ford and his popular machines, cars at the time or either Henry Ford Hospital were Frida Kahlo has a miscarriage. In the background, there is a modern advanced city with skyscrapers. In the sky, it’s drenched with pollution and has the American flag in the smoke coming from the factory.
The viewer of the painting is placed standing a back and watching all in front of them to unfold in the perspective of a bystander and not knowing Kahlo’s world. The focal point of the painting is the Artist Kahlo, at first glance the eyes tend to lead to Kahlo then all her surroundings.
The Painting has the mood and atmosphere of being bleak, diluted and a dull background, but Kahlo instead stands bright causing the background to be more desolate. The right side of the painting is more geometrical and subtle while the left side of the painting is enlightened and making Mexico brighter in colour and culture due to being more defining.
Frida Kahlo’s painting has used different materials and a process to make her art piece. Kahlo used the medium of Oil painting due to the pigments and oils in the paint, it dries slowly compared to water-based paint. Kahlo used a canvas to paint with her oils, the canvas is frequently coated with gesso before painted on with oil paints.
Analysis
The foreground of the painting has the below soil of the ground revealing the roots of the plants and the wires attached to the plant’s roots, that lead to machines above ground on the right side of the painting. The movement of the roots and wire cause a line leading to both sides of the foreground. The midground has Asymmetrical balance making the portrait has a contrast with Kahlo in the mid centre of the portrait. In the background, the artist used chiaroscuro starting from the background leading to the foreground of the portrait causing a tone on the painting.
The movement of the painting is static, creating form. In the painting, there is a lot of variety of cool and warm colours. The self-portrait of Frida Kahlo has great contrast emphasizing the organic form of the painting. In the painting there is an asymmetrical placement making Kahlo in the painting an implied line, splitting the two sides of the painting.
In Kahlo’s painting, the pipes are a pattern being three in a row. the American flag has pattern due to the flag stars having repetition. On the left side of the painting, the Aztec temple has two sets of stairs creating a pattern.
In the painting there is a perspective from the front looking straight on at Kahlo, the viewer is not looking through Kahlo’s eyes but a bystander instead.
The techniques that Frida Kahlo used is soft form realism, meaning there aren’t harsh lines but still creating a form in the painting in a realistic art style.
Interpretation
The title explains a lot about Kahlo’s painting and opens viewers into a better understanding of interpreting her artwork. For me, the title explains what’s taking place, that being Frida Kahlo is along the borderline between Mexico and the united states, 1932. The title of the painting is very descriptive and points out the two side of Mexico and the U.S making it feel like Kahlo is divided between the two countries, there cultures and technology, while also hinting at her insecurities with herself with her religion, heritage, culture and her very own identity.
When I first look upon Kahlo’s painting my eyes always lead to Kahlo standing between as the border in the painting, looking firstly at the upper part of Kahlo, mainly her face displaying a subtle smirk with a smug defying look then soon after my eyes lead down the painting were I see Kahlo holding a Mexican flag pointing down but residing to Mexico were I see a prosperous place full of nature and culture with local plants and old abandon temples in ruins feeling broken left behind but not completely forgotten. After viewing the whole left side of the painting, I look back at her hands which then a see a small cigarette in her right hand pointing the right side of the painting representing America were I look upon modern technology and how advanced it is compared to the left side of the painting but in the process It has lost culture and beauty instead it’s replaced with pollution, covering about their history in the foggy smoke.
Kahlo’s painting, in my opinion, is telling a story of a conflict between her identity reflecting that emotion with countries, feeling divided and confused with conflict. I first see Kahlo standing in her painting dividing the two sides of the painting, Kahlo holds two items in her hand one of them is a Mexican flag but instead holding it up proudly she subtly holds it down acknowledging her culture and her birthplace but not proud to show off her heritage. In the right hand, she holds a cigarette a creation that is harmful to the user and others around them and another cause of pollution in the painting.
On the right side of the painting is representing America. It is filled with modern technology and very far advanced than most countries, with skyscrapers, cities and technology. due to this it has lost its Culture and beauty and replaced with pollution and factories. Were the technologies being in the foreground, they have wires leading underground and is attached to Mexico’s local plants, to me meaning that America is feeding and stealing off Mexico’s plants and life subtly in the background.
The Left side of the painting represents Mexico. While America has big skyscrapers and buildings, Mexico has less advanced buildings and technology. Mexico has instead plants revealing they are vibrant and full of nature, while the old Aztec building represents history and culture. On the left side of the painting, it has a pile of rocks and a stone skull, to me meaning it has been left in rubble and left in ruin indicating that America is stealing resources from Mexico in the process leaving the country in rubble while the stone skull represents death of the people, culture and life, feeling like it got stripped from its once vibrant civilization. Near the skull is a grey statue representing a statue of fertility hinting at Frida Kahlo’s hope to fall pregnant for a child. In Mexico, it does not have a flat concrete surface like America but instead dirt, to me meaning they are still trying to rebuild foundations for the growing country. In the Background on the left side of the painting, there are two clouds with the sun and the moon which Frida is including the Sun and Moon Gods from Mexican religion and hinting at Kahlo’s religious side. in between the sun and moon is a thunderbolt to me means there is conflict just like Kahlo being divided between Mexico and America and conflicted with her religion.
When I View Frida Kahlo’s Painting it makes me feel Conflicted by the two sides of the painting and Kahlo just standing between the divide. I feel intrigued by all the elements She used to make her art piece and how there is a great meaning behind the painting.
I believe Kahlo was exploring the difference between Her birthplace and America, by viewing the pros and cons of both sides and how it reflected on to her identity. Another interesting part I believe Kahlo was looking at was that even though America and Mexico are in the same continent and are neighbours of each other they are divided by their beliefs, racism, culture, religion and technology.
My response to Frida Kahlo’s work is how amazed I am that there was so much thought and detail put into the artwork to give it meaning and to tell a story of Frida Kahlo’s Identity, emotions, interpretations and experiences in her life she conveys in her art. The more I investigate Frida Kahlo’s life to understand more about her art and this self-portrait the more I can see how confusing and saddening parts of her life were, and so much grief she’s been through and she displays it onto her painting.
Frida Kahlo’s biggest influences for her “self-portrait Along the Boarder Line Between Mexico and the United States, 1932” is Colonial Art paintings from the 17th and 18th-century art style and amalgamate it into her style. Frida Kahlo also used Religion as inspiration mainly Christianity, for example, Kahlo liked the beauty of churches and their structure and architecture. Kahlo also was inspired by Jesus Christ’s blood, meaning the way Jesus suffered in pain while the blood indicating to surgery. This references to Frida Kahlo’s health and her chronic illness throughout her life, Kahlo has had many surgeries’s causing pain and suffering like Jesus before this painting was made, due to her chronic illnesses Polio and maybe even spina bifida and Frida Kahlo’s bus accident causing her to get her pelvis, abdomen and uterus damaged while Her three vertebrae out of place causing her to wear corsets to keep her spine from being immobilized and her right leg broken in 11 places, her shoulder, collarbone broken as well. Frida Kahlo also used her emotions as an influence for the painting. Frida was inspired by her travel in New York.
Judgment
Frida Kahlo put so much thought in her painting which made her piece have so many elements, I love how the painting has meaning and so much detail into all the pieces. her dress is very bright and makes her stand out and I find it appealing that she used shades, tones and hues to her advantage to give the painting so much more emotion. Some of the pieces put into Frida Kahlo’s painting I find bizarre or quiet confusing in ways of, why was it painted, why that of all things and what does it mean. The two objects I find strange is the two statues on the left side of the painting placed into the midground.
I believe Frida Kahlo was well known for her art, her beliefs and her appearance. I do think Kahlo gained a lot of attention for her statement and how she wanted to display her beliefs and with this popularity, curiosity and criticism she gained to be successful as an Artist for being different. I find Frida Kahlo’s Self Portrait Along the Boarder Line Between Mexico and the United States to be fascinating and inspiring, for it is different and unique. The work is very eye-catching and is appealing to the eyes, I especially enjoy looking at every detail trying to see the story behind the piece.
I am confident that Frida Kahlo conveyed her message in her art piece, so well that you could pick up on her emotions the story was telling and all the messages and hints in her art piece she left for people to pick up on. The messages she was displaying about her identity, emotions, culture, technology, differences and health.
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