i heart art....adriana

My good friend Adriana, of Traveling Paws blog, has chosen the complex & inspiring Frida Kahlo as her favorite artist of all time.....

The Broken Column, 1944
"The Broken Column", done in 1944, may be one of Frida's paintings that shows the pain she was feeling the most. The column itself, which is broken, shows one of the sources of her pain. The nails in her body show, in a physical way, the pain she was enduring. And, the tears in Frida's eyes show that her pain was excruciating. Frida's face shows both courage, and resignation. Frida's nudity may suggest that she felt she could do little about her situation. But, in spite of her pain, Friday kept on expressing herself by making outstanding paintings.

The Little Dear, 1946
A self-portrait that reflects dream logic in the condensation of Frida's head on a deer's body. Kahlo depicts herself as a wounded creature that is "marvelous" in that surreal sense: fantastic and horrific at the same time. A calm, serene Frida looks out at us while the deer's body drips blood from the many arrows that have pierced it, shot by some unknown hunter. She thus emphasizes the hurt body, once again referencing her own history of illness and psychic distress played out on the body.

Roots, 1943
The 1943 oil-on-metal shows the artist reclining in a bright orange dress with leafy roots growing out of her body into the ground, a symbol of being nourished by the earth. It was completed after Kahlo remarried Diego Rivera, the renowned Mexican muralist. The couple was unable to have children, and "Roots" expresses Kahlo's desire for fertility and to be a part of the life cycle.

The reasons why I love her paintings:
- Self portraits
- Use of vibrant colors
- Despite her illness, she was able to give and reach out to others (such as teaching)
- Loved animals
- My favorite painting, "The Little Deer", to me the arrows represent the lemons that life throws your way, and it reminds me of Daria's pain (beloved dog who passed away in 2007)

- Adriana

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ADRIANA!!!
Checkout Adriana's blog, Traveling Paws, for fabulous dresses and tops that she is selling in order to raise money to help with vet bills for her precious pooch, Barney boy.
Support the cause!!

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