Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón, or Frida Kahlo, was a Mexican painter who was well known for her contributions to both art and society. She painted several portraits, including self-portraits, and was influenced by Mexican surroundings and ancient artifacts
Kahlo was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacán, Mexico. Her early experiences, including her health issues and early exposure to art and culture, shaped Kahlo’s distinct point of view, which would eventually be reflected in her paintings, making her one of the twentieth century’s most recognized and important painters. At the age of six Khalo contracted polio, which left her right leg thinner than the left. Kahlo began drawing as a child, regularly sketching pictures of herself and family members. Her father was a photographer, and supported her interests in art.
Kahlo’s art was important in bringing awareness to not just her personal problems, but also to bigger social problems. Her openly portraits of her personal experiences as a disabled woman, as well as her investigation of gender roles, was known to challenge normal expectations. Kahlo also used her platform to advocate for social change alongside her painting. She was a member of the Mexican Communist Party and was passionate about topics such as workers rights, indigenous rights, and women’s equality. She met artist Diego Rivera and married him in 1929.
Kahlo had been an amazing student on her way to medical school until she was eighteen and was involved in a bus accident (1925), which caused her permanent pain and medical issues. Her long recovery period led her to explore painting as a means of self-expression and therapy.
Kahlo spent the majority of the last year of her life in a hospital in Mexico City when she underwent a new bone graft surgery on her spine. It resulted in a difficult infection and multiple follow up procedures. Because of her health, she then dedicated herself to politics. In 1948 she rejoined the Mexican Communist Party. She made her first public appearance on July 2, 1954, when she joined Rivera in a protest against the CIA invasion of Guatemala. On the night of July 12, 1954 she developed a high fever and was in terrible pain. Her nurse discovered Kahlo dead in bed on July 13, 1954.
