Apellido: Kalho Calderon

Nombre: Magdalena Carmen Frieda (nombre alemán, Frieda, lo cambió a Frida en 1930 durante la invasión nazi de Alemania)

Nacimiento: “la casa azul”, Coyoacán, México 6 de julio de 1907 (a Frida le gustaba decir 1910, el año de la revolución mexicana, nací al mismo tiempo que el nuevo México.

Death: “la casa azul”, Coyoacan, Mexico July 13, 1954

Popular Mexican artist, Frida Kalho, created from her painful a unique work of art.

She was born in 1907 in Mexico to an immigrant father, Hungarian – German, artist photographer. (first official photographer of Mexican culture and heritage).

Wilhelm Guillermo Kalho knew under the name of “Don Guillermo”.

And from a Mexican indigenous mother, from Oaxaca (southern Mexico), Matilde Calderón Gonzalez.

Frida’s life was marked at a very early age by suffering. At the age of 6, she was already confronted with an infectious disease that affects the nervous system.

The medical papers description of the disease aren’t clear, often written as poliomyelite.

This disease destroys motor neurons, causing muscle dysfunction or paralysis. Weakened by various links, infection caused by this disease, she left school young, several times.

Through her father’s help, she began to live relentlessly.

As a reeducation, she practiced sports, which for her time was not common for young girls at her age, such as football, boxing, skateboarding, cycling and excellent in swimming.

Frida had already scribbled some paintings in her father’s meadow.

He loved to paint in the tranquility of the parks. Frida often accompanied him, she brought plants and insects at home for admired them under the microscope for later transcribed in painting.

Her father introduced her to a friend, artist, printer, Fernando Fernandez Dominguez, who gave her some lessons. She showed no interest. In spite of everything, Fernando saw in her a gift for art and made her copy engravings of the Swedish painter, Anders Zorn.

She gave no interest to the plastic arts. Her battle against poliomyelitis, forced her to continue in majority of her time, the physical exercises that offer her greater possibilities to recover from the disease.

In 1922, Frida entered a prestigious national medical preparatory school in Mexico City DF, with the idea of ​​becoming a doctor.

This school, just started to admit women. They were 35 women for 2000 students.

She met a lot of artists, with whom she formed a group called “Los Cachuchas”.

Los Cachuchas self-defined as a political group, critical authority, Protestant against injustice, mobilizing reforms of the education system.

Frida will spend some time in literature. On November 30, 1922, “el universal illustrator” published her poem “Recuerdo”.

Two years later, she was helping her father at his photography studio that he taught her how to use a camera, develop, retouch and color photographs. What was useful thereafter.

Aged 18, by misfortune, the bus in which she was back from school, was hit by a train. This serious accident changed her life forever.

Her spine was broken in three parts. She suffered rib fractures, clavicle and three pelvic bones.

Her right leg was fractured into multiple pieces and more … She undergoes several operations. (More or less 32 throughout his life, belt, back, installing various stretching mechanisms).

The most terrible was a bar of iron that crossed her whole body standing out her vagina. With all due respect and humor Frida commented that it was the most brutal form of losing her virginity.

Unfortunately it took her away any chance of becoming a mother.

During her months of recovery, Frida began to take painting seriously.

She take the painting of her father, a small mirror and began by painting her full-bodied plaster. Subsequently her mother made her a special chair for which it straightened slightly.

She began by testing the watercolor and then the oil painting.

Following this, she painted her first and serious self-portrait in September 1926 “Autorretrato con traje tercier pelo” – self portrait in velvet garment.

The following year, Frida began to start a “normal” life.

She began to paint various portraits of friends and family.

In 1928 she became acquainted with the famous Mexican painter, Diego Rivera.

(In 1922 Diego Rivera painted a mural at the university where he found Frida and it was noticed. When he painted, Frida came in, sat down in front of her painting and watched him paint.)

This time, she presented her paintings and saw in her a great talent, motivating her to a career as an artist.

Diego incorporated a portrait of Frida in one of his murals, called “Balada of the Revolution” – Walk of the Revolution, in the Mexican Ministry of Public Education.

On August 21, 1929, in Coyoacan, Frida will become Diego’s wife.

The two artists will travel to major metropolises, San Franscisco, Philadelphia, New York, etc.

In 1938 she made her first exhibition in New York, at the “Julien Levy gallery“, shows the world her unique style.

Following a visit by the French surrealist artist Andre Breton and his wife painter Jaqueline Lamba in Mexico, she made their acquaintance. Andre Breton fell in love with Frida’s painting, “lo que el agua me dio” (below) – a self portrait of what water gave me.

Breton exhibited her paintings in an exhibition called “Mexico”

Once in Paris, she met Marcel Duchamp, who offered him the opportunity to expose again, which launched his career more beautifully. His exhibition was at the gallery “Pierre Colle”, 1939. During this exhibition, the Louvre bought his painting called “el Marco” (below)

Frida Kalho was written by many as a woman of character, impulsive, very frank, humoristic and whimsical temperament. A woman open to the New World, modern, just as attached to its origins and indigenous Mexican culture. A little contrast seen at this time. She portrayed him in this painting below “Las dos Frida” – both Frida

Despite her painful life, she was filled with emotional and sentimental history. Defend his opinions with full heart since a young age, especially to defend the values ​​of his country.

Frida was very committed to defending the emancipation of Mexican women, describing them as “this silent and submissive mass” whose place is still marginal in this society that remains very macho.

A woman who for years has fascinated and inspired. A model for women and the whole world comes from strength and pride. She preaches her natural beauty and her pain, while fessing a lifestyle. His paintings catch us with discomfort, a taboo curious and attractive. Frida liked to say “like the natives, they were not ashamed of sex or anything stupid like this.”

A mix between universal theme and personal. Often found in Mexican and pre-Columbian art.