Autoportrait avec le portrait de diego sur la poitrine et marie entre les sourcils Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

In Frida Kahlos Self-Portrait with Diego Rivera on my Chest and Marie Between my Eyebrows, Kahlo presents a bold and direct gaze towards the viewer. She is depicted with her characteristic unibrow and faint mustache, adorned with a blue beaded necklace and an orange garment. Positioned on her chest is a miniature oval portrait of Diego Rivera, her husband, with his characteristic cherubic face. Her dark hair is pulled up, and a faint outline of another portrait, presumably of the Virgin Mary, is visible between her eyebrows. Behind her, a dark, almost menacing monkey perches on her shoulders, looking out with wide, unsettling eyes. To the upper right, a blazing, reddish sun with a face embedded within it hangs in a turbulent, cloudy sky. The background features a rugged, mountainous landscape.
The subtexts of this painting are deeply personal and symbolic. The title itself, Self-Portrait with Diego Rivera on my Chest and Marie Between my Eyebrows, reveals a central theme of love and devotion, placing Rivera literally on her heart. The portrait of the Virgin Mary between her eyebrows suggests a spiritual or maternal aspect, perhaps a longing for a child or a connection to a higher power. The monkey, often interpreted as a symbol of lust or a surrogate child in Kahlos work, adds a layer of complexity and perhaps a touch of melancholy or unease. The turbulent sky and the fiery sun can be seen as reflections of Kahlos own emotional turmoil and passionate nature, as well as her physical suffering. Kahlos direct gaze is a powerful assertion of her identity, while the painting as a whole serves as a profound exploration of her identity, her relationships, and her inner world, marked by both love and pain.