Personality Perspective of Frida Kahlo - Essay Example

Frida Kahlo affiliation Frida Kahlo Revered as one of Mexico’s greatest artists, Frida Kahlo was born on July 6th 1907 of a Mexican mother and a German father. She was the third of four sisters and lived in their family home called Casa Azul. However, at the age of six, Kahlo had a polio attack that left her bedridden for over 9 months, but with encouragement from her father to join in sports like swimming, soccer and wrestling, she soon made a remarkable recovery. She had completed her education in her home country Mexico and embarked on a successful painting career, after a severe bus accident during her adolescence, that left her seriously injured and almost paralyzed her, due to the severe damage caused to her pelvis and spinal cord that limited her movement for quite some time. According to (Griffiths, 2011) Kahlo felt separated from the world and from this loneliness, her love for painting was born. She not only earned recognition as a unique artist but gained wide popularity for her special style of painting and her contribution towards activism. After recovering from her injuries and gaining more strength and confidence in herself, she took up painting as a full time career and carved a niche for herself in the world of art. Her uniqueness came from painting portraits depicting herself and what she felt at different moments in her life. As a person, Kahlo had gone through a lot in life and it is this strength and resilience that emanates from all her portraits. Her paintings attracted wide audiences in Paris, New York and major cities across the west and Europe (Zamora. 1995). Besides gaining wide popularity as one of the best artists in Mexico, Kahlo had a deep penchant for politics too. As an activist, she never feared to express her views on the subject. In 1929, she married Diego Rivera, a communist artist who greatly admired her paintings. Apart from her exceptional paintings, Kahlo was perceived as a woman who empowered other women through her immense strength and sacrifice and the very fact that she took part in activism at a time when it was regarded as a social and political taboo for women. The reason for choosing to focus on Frida Kahlo is because she is regarded as a phenomenon by women across the globe, and her great contribution as an artist and as an activist who made a success of herself against all odds. In addition, Kahlo was an agent of change to the society as well as an empowerment tool for scores of women around the world. As (Budrys, 1996) states - Kahlo betrayed personal traitors the same as heroine in the field of art as well as activism. In this paper, we would discuss and analyze the life and times of Frida Kahlo with special focus on her as a person, her character and her personal and professional achievements of her life. Overview of personality perspective Cognitive Frida Kahlo is looked upon as a woman of great courage and strength of character and it is these qualities that have contributed to her stupendous success, both as an artist and as an activist. . However, Kahlo was never denied the opportunity to study. She had a hunger for learning and her performance reflected the same all through her childhood, when many of her friends shied away from education because not much significance was given to women at the time. Even though she had met with such a traumatic accident, yet, her injuries did not deter her from excelling in her studies proving that her cognitive abilities were well intact. Reflecting on her uniqueness as a painter Zamora (1995) argues that her paintings reflected a smart and strong woman influenced by her will to portray her personal feelings. The author further points out that the art created by Kahlo was exceptional and of high quality considering the minimal depth of art during that time. Her paintings also gained global recognition as she was invited to major cities to display her art work. From this analysis, one may point out that Kahlo’s cognitive ability was exceptional (Tibol, 1983). Behaviorist Kahlo’s behavior, did not match her skill as an artist. This fact is clearly displayed in her married life because she and even her husband Diego displayed infidelity many times during their life together and this resulted in divorce. Arguing on this point Tibol (1983) explains that Kahlo was a well behaved girl in school and stresses the fact that her conduct in school was one dominated by respect, an urge to learn and obedience. The accident she had experienced had changed every personal aspect she had. Her time in solitude enabled her to connect with her inner self which was not at peace but restless. In trying to connect to her inner self, Kahlo became a different person with regards to the way she perceived the different aspects of life. However, she did realize that her accident had a positive impact on her life as an artist because she recognized her talent for painting only after her injuries, while lying lonely in the hospital. This displays her behavior as one dominated by self-influence and belief (Griffiths, 2011). Humanistic Frida Kahlo displayed a unique humanistic approach in most of her undertakings. This approach was based on her own self-belief and practice. Kahlo had a strong belief in her abilities to change the world, regardless of the rules she had to break. In fact, we could say that the accident she had in her teenage years had impacted upon her life so much that it could be one of the reasons behind her humanistic approach in life (Budrys, 2006). Another fact, that she imbibed a humanistic approach was that she painted nude portraits of herself, which at the time could have been be viewed as social misconduct. However, she did not mind her approach to life which differed from everything else people believed in and expected. She was brazen and confident enough to uphold the views she had, and did not mind what others had to say. During her marriage to Diego, her humanistic side of her character was further displayed. Kahlo indulged in extra marital affairs with both men and women. However, Kahlo could not be tamed by either society or her own personal responsibility. This attitude made her achieve many goals that most women of her time, could not achieve across the global map (Zamora, 1995). Biological Kahlo’s health was a significant highlight all through her life. Firstly, she was diagnosed with polio at the tender age of six and since there were no proper medical services at that time, it left many of the children disabled for life. Though Polio nearly paralyzed her limbs, yet, her father took up the challenge and made her join in many sports like swimming, wrestling etc. and finally succeeded in making his daughter walk well once again.. Later in her teenage years, she was involved in road accident that nearly killed her (Cruz, 1996). The accident occurred on her way from school. In the bus, a metal bar pierced her thigh, finding its way through her flesh. Her back was also impacted, which caused injuries to her spinal cord. Due to the severity of her injuries, Kahlo was almost bedridden and confined to her bed for many months after the accident. Gradually, she regained her strength but sadly she was unable to bear children because her uterus was not in a position to hold a fetus till the time of maturity. Personal Traits Kahlo displayed many traits involving her professional and personal life. The traits portrayed in her professional life, completely differed from her personal traits. However, one of the similarities she exhibited in both these spheres was the fact that she embraced a personal approach to life, that was not influenced by any external factors. Among her professional traits, Kahlo was always keen to maintain a professional image that was conducive and relevant to her work. In an argument by Tibol (1983) it says that Kahlo treated her paintings with high regard and her life revolved around making paintings that her audience would find exceptional. While on global tours, to showcase her art work, Kahlo was careful not to confront or expose her personal traits. On the other hand, her personal life never had boundaries of any kind. As Cruz (1996) points out, that Kahlo did everything that pleased herself, even at everyone’s disapproval. Interactionist Kahlo, was outgoing and liked interacting with the people around her. One significant interaction in her life was the courtship with Diego Rivera. that culminated in marriage. Though she valued her marriage, she was accused of having affairs with other people on few occasions. In fact, both of them carried on marital affairs outside their marriage, but yet they remained close to each other till her death. She also interacted deeply with artists who made similar art work as hers, and therefore this attitude made her gain both popularity and exposure. She also interacted with fellow activists and came up with policies that were aimed at changing the political scenario of the governments (Cruz, 1996). Conclusion Kahlo was a woman of great endurance and was perceived as one who changed the feminine approach to both art and politics. In addition, girls in her own country looked upon her as a role model and someone whom they could follow. One of the things that depict her strength was the fact that though she was almost paralyzed, she never lost the passion for art and activism. From this analysis it is an obvious assumption that Kahlo was a woman of character and an agent of change in her work, as well as the society she lived in. Across the globe and within her own country she is greatly admired as one of the few exceptional pioneers of art. References Budrys, V. (2006)."Neurological Deficits in the Life and Work of Frida Kahlo". European Neurology 55 (1): 4–10. Cruz, B. (1996). Frida Kahlo: Portrait of a Mexican Painter. Berkeley Heights: Enslow. Frida Kahlo Biography www.biography.com Griffiths, J. (2011). A Love Letter from a Stray Moon. Melbourne: Text Publishing. Tibol, R. (1983). English translation 1993 by Eleanor Randall) Frida Kahlo: an Open Life. USA: University of New Mexico Press. Zamora, M. (1995).The Letters of Frida Kahlo: CartasApasionadas. New York: Chronicle Books. Read More