blocks

title

description

User must be logged in to see this content. Hidden from sitemap and search crawlers.

private

Map this to a content key in the sub navigation to load that into the page header

contentKey

page

Core:Section

Core:Button

Columns

Text

PUSHING THROUGH PAINI was born in Mexico, at La Casa Azul (the Blue House), in a house my father had built. He was a successful photographer and I loved looking at his photos. They taught me about Mexican architecture, art and history. They made me proud of my country and my heritage. He also liked to paint. Sometimes he took me with him when he went to the countryside to use his paints and brushes. I loved watching my father create images on the canvas.When I was six, I contracted polio. It was so serious that I needed to stay in my bed for almost nine months.The polio left my right leg weak and thin, but that didn’t stop me from playing football, wrestling, boxing and swimming. The kids in my neighbourhood called me pata de palo, which means ‘peg leg’, so as I got older I wore trousers, long dresses and skirts to hide my leg.Despite all the lesson time I had missed, I got into the best high school in the country. There were 2,000 boys and only 35 girls, but I wasn’t scared or nervous. My favourite classes were science and maths, and I decided I wanted to be a doctor. I would care for and help people in need.A famous artist called Diego Rivera came to visit our school. I put soap on the stairs to see if he would slip and fall. Little did I know how important he would become in my life years later.One day, our school bus was hit by a trolley car. I nearly died and the memories of that terrible accident and my injuries stayed with me for the rest of my life. But I had overcome polio, and I would not let this accident keep me from living the life I wanted for myself.When I was finally able to go home, I was still in a full-body plaster cast. I couldn’t move or sit up. My mother had a carpenter make a special easel so that I could paint while I was lying on my back. A large mirror was hung over my bed so that I could look at myself as I painted. Painting allowed me to forget my pain. I decided I no longer wanted to be a doctor, I wanted to be an artist.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fcdca2a58ed5048adb8ec4c26274f0335" alt="" style="width: 404px; height: 294.656px;"> BECOMING AN ARTISTAfter I recovered, guess who was at one of the parties I went to? Diego Rivera! I got up the nerve to ask him to look at four of my paintings. He wasn’t that impressed with three of them, but he really liked one of them.After that, Diego and I started to spend a lot of time together. We were falling in love and we got married in 1929. Looking after Diego, a world-famous artist, was a full-time job and this frustrated me.In 1930, Diego was asked to work in the US, and I went with him. Although we went to fabulous parties and met lots of people, I was often alone, because Diego was working most of the time.I finally decided it was time to pick up my paintbrushes and start painting again. My paintings showed how much I missed Mexico.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2F6f14a34ad4404f559ea521ea700d89ed" alt="" style="width: 276.518px; height: 366.734px;"> After three long years in the US, Diego and I moved back to Mexico. We were arguing a lot by now. I cared deeply about Diego and our relationship, and although I loved him, our strong personalities often clashed. It was during these difficult times that many people said I created my best and most interesting paintings.It was also when I found out that I would never be able to have children due to my injuries from the accident. I was devastated. Why was life so unfair? Once again, I put these feelings into my work.I was becoming more successful as an artist, and more people started noticing my work. I finally felt that people were seeing Frida Kahlo, not the wife of Diego Rivera.Things between Diego and I became even more strained. We were not always faithful to each other, and I had relationships with other men and women. We respected each other as artists, but being husband and wife was too hard. We ultimately decided to divorce in 1939.A COLOURFUL CAREERAfter that, my career took off. I had exhibitions in New York City and San Francisco. While I was in San Francisco, Diego came to see me. We truly missed each other and decided to give marriage another try. We moved back to the Blue House, and I was thrilled that my childhood home became my studio.In 1953, I was finally given my first solo show in Mexico. There had been solo shows of my artwork in other countries, but to have one in my own country made me so proud. At this point, my body was starting to let me down, and my doctor said I shouldn’t go to the show, but I didn’t listen. I had my four-poster bed set up in the gallery and I laid there as people viewed my work. It was almost as if I was a work of art myself.<img src="https://cdn.builder.io/api/v1/image/assets%2Fb3b13b7f131f44b8b9040dab74852379%2Fcba339d54e4140cd9f43a467e2dca46d" alt="" style="width: 401.016px; height: 253.625px;"> Even though I had a strong will, my body was weak, and each day became more of a struggle. One of the last paintings I created contained the words, viva la vida. In English that means ‘long live life’. No matter how much pain I was in or what obstacles were in my path, I lived my life on my own terms.GLOSSARYPolio&nbsp;– an infectious viral disease that can cause temporary or permanent paralysis.Solo show –&nbsp;an exhibition of the work of only one artist.LEGACY AND RECOGNITION<ul><li>Following a near-fatal accident, Frida Kahlo found comfort and strength in painting and went on to become one of Mexico’s most famous artists.</li><li>In her lifetime, Frida Kahlo created over 143 paintings, of which 55 are self-portraits.</li><li>Frida Kahlo’s place of birth, Casa Azul or ‘The Blue House’, is now The Frida Kahlo Museum. It exhibits her personal belongings and is the most visited tourist attraction in Mexico City.</li><li>Several films have been made about her life and work, including&nbsp;Frida, which starred Salma Hayek and was nominated for several Academy Awards.</li><li>Frida Kahlo’s paintings hang in many prestigious museums and galleries around the world, including the Louvre in Paris, and the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.</li><li>One of her paintings features on the 500-peso note in Mexico. In the US, she became the first Latin American woman to be honoured with a postage stamp in 2001.</li></ul>IMAGE CAPTIONS AND CREDITSFrida painting in bed (1940), © Frida Kahlo MuseumMe and My Parrots, Frida Kahlo, AlamyFrida Kahlo Retrospective, Alamy

Image

More Amazing People! If you liked this story, you might also enjoy these.

Want more? Check out these amazing resources and keep the learning going

EuHu

Character Strengths Strategic Overview

Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Strategic Overview

Mental Health & Wellbeing Strategic Overview

Special Education Needs & Disability Strategic Overview