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Art
Critics
on
Frida
Kahlo:
A Comparisonof Feminist
and
Non-Feminist Voices
Elizabeth Garber
Introduction
As a writer,researcher,andstudentof
feministcriticism,I amoftenaskedto
definefeministartcriticism.Ina timewhen
criticismhas becomea widelydiscussed
componentof arteducationprogramsin
universities
andschools- a timecoincidentwithincreasedawarenessof and
to representing
the world
responsibility
viewsof womenandpersonsof colorthe questionis relevantto a broadaudience of arteducatorswhoare interestedin
feministperspectivesinto
incorporating
theirartcurricula.
the uses
Understanding
anddefinitions
of feminism,frommedia
acausages to dense andjargon-laden
demicexplorations,
is confusing,making
the questforunderstanding
difficult.
Througha comparisonof feministandnonfeministwritteninterpretations
of Frida
Kahlo'sart,Iwilloutlinebothwhatfeminist
artcriticismis andwhatit is not,andthe
varietyof formsfeministcriticismtakes.
withthe feministcritics,Iwill
Beginning
showa varietyof approachesto Kahlo's
paintingsthatrepresentdifferentissues
andemphaseswithinthe feministmovement.Thesefeministanalyseswillthenbe
comparedwithnon-feminists'
interpretations.Iwillconcludewitha shortrationale
forfeministartcriticismas a groupof
perspectiveson artthatare an important
componentinourbecomingliterateabout
worldviews. First,however,some
multiple
briefbiographical
detailsof the artist'slife
andwork.
FridaKahlo
FridaKahlowas a Mexicanartistwhose
lifespanoccupiedmostof the firsthalfof
thiscentury(1907-1954).Herpaintingsare
1992
42 ArtEducation/March
figurativeandcolorful,filledwithsymbolism
andcarriedout inwhatseems to have
been a deliberately
naivestyle.She was
of
a
of
andintellectuals
in
artists
part group
Mexicoduringthefirstpartof thiscentury
whowere bothproudof theirMexican
heritageandweddedto socialreforms
In1925 Kahlo
throughCommunism.
sufferedgraveinjuriesto herpelvis,spine,
andone of herfeet whena streetcarhitthe
bus inwhichshe was riding;the accident
affectedherlife.She spent
profoundly
muchtimeinbed,underwentdozensof
operations,andcouldnotbearchildren.
Theeffectsof herinjuryandinfertility,
combinedwiththe emotionalupheavalsof
herdramaticmaritalrelationship
with
muralistDiegoRivera,are apparent
subjectsin manyof herpaintings.Her
imageoccupiesthe centralpictureplanein
mostof herwork,as botha physicalanda
psychologicalstudyof herself.Kahlo's
herworkthe
is international,
reputation
subjectof manycriticalreviewsand
Kahlois subject
severalbooks.Currently,
of renewedattention,withnewarticles
appearingmonthly(ArtandMan,1991;
1990;Chessher,1990;
Bartolucci,
Helland,1990/1991;
1990/1991;
Grimberg,
Herrera,1990;Zamora,1989);andher
workis includedin numerousexhibitions.1
'Recent highlypublicizedand well reviewed U. S.
exhibitionsin whichKahlo'sworkhas been included
are "Mexico:Splendorsof ThirtyCenturies"at the
Museumof Artand "Womenin Mexico"
Metropolitan
at the NationalAcademyof Design in New York.
Furtherexhibitionsare scheduled at the San Antonio
Museumof Artand Los Angeles CountyMuseumof
Art.Pop star Madonna,who owns several of Kahlo's
paintings,has purchasedthe rightsto the artist'slife
storyand intendsto make a movie;othermovies are
reportedlyin the works(Herrera,1990).
beingnewmeaningsand new
futureof women"(Modleski,1989,14-15).
Thesegoals areoftenimplied,overarching
thiscontext,
ratherthandirect.Within
feministartcriticismencompassesartby
of womeninart,and
women,the portrayal
socialmeansthatconstructourviewing
of womenartistsand
andunderstanding
of gender.
the representation
Activitiesandgoals of Americanfeminist
artcriticsandhistorians2
duringthe 1970s
and'80s havebeen to placewomenartists
andignored)incanonsof high
(forgotten
to
artwheretheyare under-represented,
inwomen'sart
searchforcharacteristics
and
thatmightdefinea "femalesensibility,"
to examinevaluesinartthatdetermine
andthe veryideaof an art
"greatness"
canon.Duringthe lastten years,the
of thislastactivityhave
implications
of
to
expanded a full-scaleexamination
meanand
political
ideological
underlying
ingsof sociallydeterminedstructuressuch
of
as canonicalart.Thesocialconstruction
social
of
the
and
relationship
gender
to women'sartandto the
structures
of womenin arthave
representation
extensive
analyses.Lately,
undergone
insteadof studyingdifferencesbetween
womenandmen,differencesbetween
womenhavebeen exploredas they relate
to variationsin race,class, ethnicity,age,
2Thisstudyis limitedto U.S. Americanartcriticism
in this countryof
because of the unavailability
materialspublishedin Mexicoand othercountries.It
is limitedlargelyto criticismpublishedinjournalswith
highcirculation,althougha subsequent comparison
couldand shouldbe made drawingupon the views of
criticspublishedin less circulatedjournalsforideas
and views outsidethe spectrumof artjournals
directedtowardshighartaudiences. Manyof these
sources are not readilyavailablein the U.S.A.,
notablythose publishedin Mexico.Fora comprehenon Kahloup to the early 1980s, see
sive bibliography
Garcia(1983); Herrera's(1983a) biographyof Kahlo
containsa selected bibliography,pp. 445-448; the
WhitechapelGalleryexhibitioncatalog (Mulveyand
Wollen,1982) also includesa selected bibliography.
sexualpreference,andotherfactorsthat
to groupidentities(Goumacontribute
PetersonandMathews,1987;Lorde,1984;
Tickner,1984;Trinh,1990).
The above activities are reflected in
FridaKahlo,The Two
Fridas,oil on canvas, 67 x
67".Collectionof Museode
ArteModerno,Mexico,D.F.
Photocourtesyof Hayden
Herrera.
writtenaboutFrida
feministcriticism
Kahlo'spaintings.Inthe firstthreewritings
analyzedbelow,the focusis on defininga
femalesensibility.Inthefourthone, it is on
thatdefinegenderas well
socialstructures
as on differencesbetweenwomen.Implicit
of a
inallthe essays is the restoration
femaleartistlargelyignoredinthe United
Statesuntilthewomen'smovement
broughtherto ourattention.Thisproject,
dealtwithin my
then,is notspecifically
critics.
of
feminist
comparisons
Theearliestpieceof writingused forthis
Kahlo:PaintingforMiracles"
studyis "Frida
in
which
authorGloriaOrenstein
(1973),
of Kahlo'spaintings
ties the iconography
condiintothe physicalandpsychological
tionsof the artist'slife.Orensteinwritesin
thisarticleto definea femalesensibility.
1992
ArtEducation/March
43
Becauseof women'sbiologicaldifferences,
she assumeswomenarepsychologically
frommen.Kahlois describedas
different
whodaredto express in
artist"
"pioneering
herart"thefulltruthof [her]biological
experience"
(p. 7). Anexcerptof
of Kahlo's
Orenstein'sinterpretation
Ford
Hospitalillustrates
paintingHenry
howOrensteindevelopsthatthesis.
44 ArtEducation/March
1992
female
soughtto articulatea specifically
consciousnessby recourseto a more
oftenautobiographicomposed,narrative,
cal artof sensibility"
(p. 121).Themale
surrealists'
emphasison eroticdesire
claimsChadwick,
and
women,
objectified
definedthemas subordinate
to men.
Wherethe criticfindseroticviolencein
Kahlo'spaintings,it is directedagainstthe
self, "notthe Other,violenceinseparable
fromthe physiologicalrealityof woman's
sexuality"
(p. 124). Personalexperience
dominatesherartina narrative
flow,rather
thanthe dreamlikediscontinuity
thatwas
the goal of malesurrealists.Chadwick
findsthatwomenartistsof surrealism
intheir
depictedthemselvesregularly
whereas
their
male
paintings,
counterparts
didnot.Whereasmalesurrealistsutilized
the imageof womenas metaphorforthe
mysteriesof nature,womenpainters
poisedtheirimages"uneasilybetweenthe
worldsof artand nature."InKahlo'swork,
Chadwickunderstandsthisa reflectionof
the dualityof the artist'slife:her"exterior
persona"of ornamentandcostumejuxtaself nourished
posed nextto her"interior
on the painof hercrippledbody"(p. 128).
Chadwickultimately
argueswomenin
the surrealistmovementchose their
difference.She claimsthatthroughtheir
art,womensurrealistscommentedon the
tensionbetween"constructed
socialbeing"
(symbolizedby artandthe exteriorpersona) and"thepowerfulforcesof the
life"(symbolizedby "nature"
instinctual
and
"theinteriorself")(p. 126)3Chadwick's
essay is feministcriticismbecause it
exploresthe artof womeninthe surrealist
movementandthe natureof theirsensibilityas opposedto theirmalecounterparts'
in an effortto increaseunderstanding
of
these frequently
overlookedartists.Ineach
of the threeessays thusfarexamined,
of femalesensibilthroughthe exploration
new
and
are
ity,
meanings subjectivities
to
women
artists.
brought understanding
Ina 1982exhibition
catalogessay on
Kahloandphotographer
TinaModotti,
LauraMulveyandPeterWollenconsider
women'sdifferencesas bothsocialconstructsand materialfact.Althoughwomen,
relegatedto the privateanddomestic
life"withnature,
31nassociationan "instinctual
Chadwickstillimpliesthe existence of an essential
female core fromwhichthe women of surrealismdrew
inspiration.
spheres,haveoftencreatedartoutof their
non-public
experiences,"thereis a danger
herethata creativity
producedby a social
ArtEducation/March
1992
45
Andnotunless itcontributes
to the processes of changingthe socialconditions
thatoppresswomenand/orof bringingnew
to the undermeaningsandsubjectivities
standingof womenandart.Thismaybe
that
accomplished
throughrecognition
womenhavebeen wrongfully
omittedfrom
andthroughutilization
of
recognition
alternatecriteriainevaluatingartthatallow
forwomen'sdifferentexperiencesof the
world(understood
as sociallydetermined
or innate).Additionally,
the writermust
placegenderas a central,or equally
weighted,themein hisor heressay.
In"Frida
Kahlo:The Palette,The Pain,
andThePainter,"
HaydenHerrera(1983b)
buildsa psychological
profileof the artist
throughanalyzingKahlo'spaintings.
Herrera's
thesis is that"Kahlo's
paintings
showus the miserybehindherfacadeof
with
alegria"(p. 60). Embellished
liberally
details(including
Kahlo's
biographical
withherfather,herexperience
relationship
withpolio,the bus accidentthatpermanentlydisabledthe artistandmadeit
impossibleforherto bearchildren,her
teenageboyfriend,herlifewithhusband
DiegoRivera,herlovers,herrecoveries
and relapsesto healthandintoillness,and
so on), HerrerarevealsKahlo'spaintings
as acts of therapyandmeansforsurvival.
Herrera
tracesthe meaningof individual
paintingsto specificeventsin Kahlo'slife.
HenryFordHospitaldepictsKahlo's1932
miscarriage.
MyBirthreiteratesthe same
andalso refersto the deathof
miscarriage
Kahlo'smother.LittleDeer(LaVenadita)
46 ArtEducation/March
1992
it
[Kahlo's]theatrical
self-presentation,
wentwithherclothes,it wentwithher
exoticpersonality,it wentwiththe dramaof
herart.(1983b,pp. 62, 66)
Thoughsome of Kahlo'slastpaintingsare
blatantly
political,andHerrerarecordsthis,
she abandon'sdiscussionof the
ultimately
networkfora characterization
of "Frida's"
end,anda finalhypothesisof the cause of
herdeath."Ordinarily,"
remarksSerge
Fauchereau,anothercriticwho has written
of FridaKahlo,the manydetailsof an
artist'slife"wouldnotnecessarilyrelateto
painting.Kahloconsciouslyplacedher
Mexicannationalism
as peremptory
to
art
Breslow
European styles.
analyzesin
carefuldetaileach one of the symbolsin
thispaintingas an iconof MexicanpreColumbian
andfolkarts.Hersis an iconographicalstudyforthe purposesof establishingKahlo'sinfluencesas Mexican,not
European.
Summaryand Conclusion
Fourthemesthreadthroughthese seven
essays on FridaKahlo'sart.Herpaintings
areconsideredagainstherMexican
heritage,as belongingto the surrealist
movement,forwhattheytellus abouther,
andas expressionsof gender.Throughmy
analyses,Ido notwish to implythatone
themeis moreworthythananother.
Indeed,togethertheyforma betterunderstandingof Kahlo'swork.To interpret
Kahlo'sworkwithoutreferenceto her
existenceas a woman,however,gives an
incompletereadingof herpaintings.To
overlookthe historical
andartisticperiods
inwhichlived,herclass, herpolitical
herallegianceto herMexican
affiliations,
or
heritage, to ignorethe physicaland
traumasof herpersonallife
psychological
make
foran incompleteundersimilarly
of
the
standing
meaningof Kahlo'sart.
Thefeministessays describedabove
illustrate
distinctions
between
important
feminists.GloriaOrenstein'sessay is a
discussionof the relationship
of Kahlo's
the
to
and
iconography
physical psychologicalconditionsof the artist'slife.These
conditionsare interpreted
as an expression
of Kahlo'sfemaleness,whichin
Orenstein'smindis connectedto nature.In
thisassociation,Orensteinpositsa female
findsin
sensibilityin art.LucyLippard
Kahlo'sworka femalesensibilityconnectedto nature,apparentbecauseof the
artist'sconsciousnessof herIndianand
Mexicanheritages.The implication
is that
an essentiallinkbetweenwomanand
naturecan be erasedor hiddenby cultural
factors.WhitneyChadwickalso triesto
establisha femalesensibility,generalizable
ArtEducation/March
1992
47
48 ArtEducatiornMarch
1992
References
Artand Man.(1991). Mexicanart:FeaturingFrida
Kahlo[issue theme].Artand man, 21 (5), 1-4.
Bartolucci,M.(1990, November).Objectsand
apparitions.Metropolis,pp. 36-41.
Breslow,N. (1982). FridaKahlo's"TheSquare Is
Theirs":SpoofingGiorgiode Chirico.Arts
Magazine,
56(5), 120-123.
Artforum,
25(1), 86-91.
ArtJournal,11(2),3-7.
Woman's
Kahlo'spaintings.
Woman's
ArtJournal,11(2),
8-13.
Herrera,H. (1983a). Frida:A biographyof Frida
Kahlo. New York:Harper&Row.
. (1983b). FridaKahlo:The palette,the
21 (7), 60-67.
pain,and the painter.Artforum,
. (1990, October28). WhyFridaKahlo
speaks to the 90's. New YorkTimes,pp. 11-1,41.
Lippard,L. (1977). Quitecontrary:Body,nature,ritual
in women'sart. Chrysalis,no. 2, 31-47.
Lorde,A. (1984). Age, race, class, and sex: Women
redefiningdifference.Sister outsider,p. 114-123.
Freedom,CA:The CrossingPress.
Modleski,T. (1989). Some functionsof feminist
criticism,or the scandalof the mute body.
October,No. 49, 3-24.
Mulvey,L.and Wollen,P. (1982). FridaKahloand
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Gallery.
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*mliracles.
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