Frida Kahlo Self-Portrait with Monkey

Self-Portrait with Monkey

1938
Oil on Masonite
16 x 12 in
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo

Hey Everyone !

It's been a short summer, but I feel like a haven't done this for an eternity !

I hope everyone had a good summer? Year four CyberArts has began! I can not believe it, time flies. To start off the year we have been doing some drawing, focusing on light and shadow with different materials. We did some quick fabric drawings and now we're moving on to portraits. So today I will looking at a famous portrait by Frida Kahlo.

Background on Kahlo

Frida Kahlo had polio when she was a child, which made her right foot immobilized. She was given the cruel nickname “Peg-leg Frida” which made her sensitive about this deformity. Frida suffered from another accident later on in her adolescence, she suffered severe injuries and was bedridden for several months. During this period she began painting, as a distraction from pain and boredom. She used a mirror, so that she could serve as her own model, and this is why she has painted several self-portraits. (Link)

About the Painting

I chose this painting because it reflects Kahlo's personality. She depicted her self looking very serious, with attention to her thick eyebrows her trademark feature. She's wearing a traditional Mexican necklace, and her hair is tied up elegantly. In the background there are thick and over sized trees and leaves. I read she loved gardening and animals, they helped distract her from her loneliness. I especially like the monkey's eyes, they are mysterious and my favourite part of the painting.

Critique

The paintings is in a pyramid composition, which is Kahlo trademark. The texture of the monkeys hair and the hairy leaves unify the painting. The organic lines direct the eye up and down the painting, creating movement and harmony. Overall the use of earth tones, organic lines and thick texture, creates balance and combined together make a visually appealing painting.