The Mac Weekly

Issue date: 11/16/07 Section: The Arts

Media Credit: Walker Art Center Kahlo's "Self-Portrait with Necklace 1933"

Frida Kahlo once said, "I paint my own reality. The only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint whatever passes through my head without any other consideration."
The visiting Frida Kahlo exhibit at the Walker Art Center is as commanding and sincere as Kahlo's words. The collection of over fifty paintings is premiering in Minneapolis before touring the United States after January 20. Also included in the exhibition are numerous candid shots of Kahlo and her family.

I walked into the Kahlo exhibit knowing very little about the artist besides what I saw in the 2002 film "Frida," and the various paintings I had seen in art classes. I was never a huge fan of the Mexican painter; I always thought her paintings revolved solely around the image of a stony-faced woman with a neglected unibrow. To me, she was another over-hyped, supposedly tortured soul with a style I was never quite fond of. Even after seeing Salma Hayek's amazing performance as Frida Kahlo, I was a little unsure if I would fully appreciate the art displayed at the Walker. Nonetheless, I was excited and eager to see real Kahlo works.
I was not disappointed.

The halls of the exhibit are white-washed blank, but the bold paintings lining the walls more than make up for the lack of color. I was greeted by "Self-Portrait 1926," featuring a young, very reserved Kahlo against a background of swirling darkness. Painted shortly after a debilitating bus accident, Kahlo's turmoil emanated from her oil-painted eyes.
I quickly realized that much of the power of Kahlo's work came from her ability to capture a flurry of emotions with brush-stroked eyes on Masonite, one of her preferred support mediums. In many of Kahlo's self-portraits, her body language remains the same, but her eyes give the paintings true meaning. From moods like anguish or playfulness flitting behind the oil paint to blank stares that bore into the soul, Kahlo's talent for encapsulating feeling is immaculate.

However, the awe of the Walker's exhibit is not limited to the eyes of the conflicted artist. There are many other Kahlo works from still life to miniature murals, such as Moses, in which Kahlo displays a number of ideas and feelings. Symbolism in her work is quite evident, and her obsession with fertility plays a large role in much of her work. A handful of paintings like "Sun and Life" and "Flower of Life" feature female and male genitalia at the height of passion subtly disguised as flowers. The idea of motherhood (and her lack thereof), another of Kahlo's fixations, is featured in many of her works as well. She poses with child-like monkeys, a baby-doll and even as a child herself.

Continued...

Page 1 of 2 next >

Article Tools