Diego Rivera Archives - SAINT TWENTY

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Diego And I, 1949

By: Saint Twenty June 1, 2022June 1, 2022

Saint MuseCathartic Therapy, Diego And I 1949, Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, Mexican Art, Mexican Artists, Mexican Revolution, Toxic MenLeave a Comment

My art dissertation was on Frida Kahlo. Studying her work I learned it’s literal, she uses it as cathartic therapy. In this piece she has husband Diego Rivera as her third eye, while tears stream down her face. Diego was unscrupulous in their marriage, a notorious cheater who had an affair with her sister and many others. This painting definitely sums up her hurt over their toxic, toxic marriage. Third eyes are powerful, they see the intangible, the hidden, they represent spiritual power. Yet, she is not his third eye. What do you think that says about this painting? While she sees him as a source of power, what does he feel for her? Which toxic lover would you have on your forehead if this painting were about you? Artist: Frida Kahlo

Begin The Week Like Frida Kahlo

By: Saint Twenty November 16, 2020November 16, 2020

Saint MuseBegin The Week Like Frida Kahlo, Diego Rivera, Female Artists, Frida Kahlo, Henry Ford Hospital, Mexican ArtistLeave a Comment

My seven page art dissertation was on Frida Kahlo. In high school on her way home from an apprenticeship the bus she was on collided with a streetcar, causing the handrail to lodge into her abdomen and exit her vagina. Her spine was broken in three places, her right foot was broken in eleven (dislocated and crushed), as were her ribs, collarbone and pelvic bone. Thirty two operations were needed throughout the duration of her life due to the crash, which she references in many of her works like the one above.

By some miracle she was able to get pregnant after suffering a multitude of miscarriages, but lost the baby at two months having never recovered from the bus accident. Henry Ford Hospital (painted in 1932) depicts her pain: the desire for a functioning uterus, the baby boy she hoped to have, a snail representing the slowness of the ordeal, her pelvic bone forever damaged, a purple orchid given to her by husband Diego Rivera while she was in the hospital and an autoclave, symbolizing the medical tools used. And at the center is Frida Kahlo, naked, bloody, exposed, filled with the sorrow of knowing motherhood would forever elude her. Through the catharsis of art she found the strength to endure both her emotional and physical trauma, becoming a legend and one of the most successful female artist in history.

If Frida could push through so can you. Start the week with her determination, hardiness and optimism that you can beat the odds and become something great. We tend to compare ourselves to others highlighting what we lack, but how often do you compare in terms of gratitude? Don’t take the simple things for granted, you are bountiful in ways others are not.