Three examples of Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits are, from left, “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird,” 1940; “Time Flies,” 1929; and “Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress,” 1926. Image provided by Darla McCammon.

By Darla McCammon
and Darlene Romano
Guest Columnists

WARSAW — In the simplest terms, a self-taught artist is someone who never received any formal training in the arts. Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was an artist considered to be self-taught who painted portraits, self-portraits and scenes that reflected the Mexican culture. Kahlo created her artwork by applying oil paints to canvas and on Masonite board. An image showing three of her self-portraits is included with this column. From left, the images are: “Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird,” 1940; “Time Flies,” 1929; and “Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress,” 1926.

Kahlo grew up in Coyoacan, Mexico, and was a promising student headed to medical school until she nearly died in a bus accident at age 18. She began to focus heavily on painting during her recovery. As a result of her injuries, she endured a lifetime of pain and medical problems, undergoing a total of 30 operations.

Kahlo married renowned Mexican artist Diego Rivera in 1929. She began to develop her artistic style, with her main inspiration coming from Mexican folk culture. During this time, Kahlo painted mostly self-portraits and her artwork garnered the attention of surrealist artist André Breton. A solo exhibition for Kahlo at the Julien Levy Gallery in New York in 1938 was arranged by Breton, and another exhibition followed in 1939. The second exhibition resulted in one of her paintings being purchased by the Louvre, making Kahlo the first Mexican artist to be featured in their collection.

Although the year 1939 was professionally successful for Kahlo, it was not a good year in her personal life, as she and Rivera divorced. They remarried in 1940 and continued a tumultuous marriage filled with multiple affairs on both sides. Kahlo continued painting, and her work, especially her self-portraits, often depicted the pain and suffering of her life. Fellow artist Breton, who had facilitated Kahlo’s first exhibition, considered her a surrealist, a label she rejected, saying she just painted her reality. However, Kahlo participated in the “International Exhibition of Surrealism” in 1940 at the Galeria de Arte, Mexicano. During the 1940s, Kahlo continued to participate in exhibitions, although her work did not become well known or highly valuable until the 1970s, 16 years after her death in 1954.

For more information on the fascinating artwork of Frida Kahlo, go to www.fridakahlo.org.

Events

Midwest Museum of American Art in Elkhart: In honor of its 44th anniversary, the museum is presenting an exhibition titled “America the Beautiful by American Master Photographer Clyde Butcher.” Focusing mostly on landscapes, Butcher uses a medium-format camera to create silver gelatin prints, platinum palladium prints and digital prints. His extraordinary work will be available for viewing May 6 through July 16. For more information, call (574) 293-6660.

The Heartland Artists Gallery — Call for Artists: The Heartland Artists Gallery in Plymouth will be hosting the annual “Small Wonders Juried Exhibit” from May 2 through June 2. It is open to artists in all media. The submission deadline is Sunday, April 23. For more information, call (574) 316-0264.

Ford Meter Box Calendar Competition: The annual calendar competition for Ford Meter Box is underway, and artists are invited to submit artwork. The deadline to submit work is Friday, June 2. For a list of the rules of the event or for more information, contact Michele Ilyas at [email protected] or Tanya Denney at [email protected].

Lakeland Art Center & Gallery: The gallery is currently exhibiting the work of “Hilarie Couture: Unity with Variety.” Gallery hours are 11:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Wednesday through Saturday, and admission is free. The gallery is located at 302 E. Winona Ave., Warsaw. For more information, send an email to [email protected].

Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery: Kim Lanoue is the featured exhibitor at the Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery. There will be a “Meet the Artist” event and a painting demo by Lanoue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, April 25, at the gallery. The gallery is inside of Warsaw City Hall, 102 S. Buffalo St., Warsaw. The gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily, and admission is free. To exhibit at Warsaw City Hall Art Gallery, contact Darla McCammon, curator, at (574) 527-4044 and leave a message or send an email to [email protected].

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