The Two Fridas Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)
Frida Kahlo – The Two Fridas
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Painter: Frida Kahlo
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The painting "Two Fridas" was painted in 1939. The artist painted herself. The materials used to paint the work were canvas and oil, and the dimensions of the canvas are 173 by 173 centimeters. Currently, the painting is stored in Mexico City, at the Museum of Modern Art. The difficult fate of Frida Kahlo, the painting’s author, also left an imprint on her art. In her paintings, reality is painful, refracted and surreal.
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Description of Frida Kahlo’s painting "Two Fridas"
The painting "Two Fridas" was painted in 1939. The artist painted herself. The materials used to paint the work were canvas and oil, and the dimensions of the canvas are 173 by 173 centimeters. Currently, the painting is stored in Mexico City, at the Museum of Modern Art.
The difficult fate of Frida Kahlo, the painting’s author, also left an imprint on her art. In her paintings, reality is painful, refracted and surreal. Frida creates her own reality, escaping into it from her real life and experiences, hiding from hardship and numerous diseases. Perhaps, to some extent, painting was for Frida Kahlo a healing tool to help her release what had been accumulating in her soul. In a way, Frida, from her own paintings, was an imaginary friend to herself.
Let’s take a look at the painting "The Two Fridas". It shows two women in festive attire sitting holding hands. Both women have the same face. Their breasts peep through, revealing to the viewer bright red hearts with severed arteries. One of the women is holding scissors and her snow-white dress is sprinkled with blood. In the background are thick black clouds.
It’s a grim picture, but the reason for its painting was not the most pleasant: Frida painted it under the impression of the break-up with her husband. Diego River was also a Mexican artist, and their relationship was stormy and vibrant, and going through a separation was very difficult for a woman. Kahlo said Diego was in love with one Frida and she became another, and she depicts both Fridas in this painting. One of them is Mexican, the other European, as you can tell from their dresses.
The painting "Two Fridas" is filled with pain, but at the same time it has great artistic value. The memorable images, the power of impact, the symbolism, all make it a true work of art.
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The Two Fridas was painted by Frida Kahlo in 1939 after her divorce from her husband, Diego Rivera. It depicts two double female figures sitting on a bench. They are holding hands, and their hearts are connected by a common aorta.
One of the women is wearing a white lace dress, and she is holding blood-stained scissors in her hands. Her heart is visible through her clothing, which causes pain. Perhaps she herself cut this organ and pierced the aorta that connects her to the woman sitting next to her.
The second figure is wearing colorful clothes: a dark blue shirt with a golden belt and a green skirt, and she is holding a small amulet in her hands. In the background, you can see an intensely dark blue sky, where clouds are gathering.
Kahlos image is a visual analysis of the feelings that accompanied the artist after her separation from her husband. The principle of the composition of the work is a game of similarity and contrast. It can be assumed that we are dealing with a confrontation between Fridas image from the past and her actual representation. The woman in colorful clothes with a healthy heart is an allegory of the spiritual state of the artist before parting with Diego. Her face is shown as happy, which emphasizes the color of her dress, and she holds an amulet in her hands, which symbolizes a favorable talisman.
The artist refers here to her native Mexican culture and folklore, where magic plays an important role in shaping a persons psycho-emotional life. Without amulets, a woman cannot ensure the love of her beloved. Every action must be supported by supernatural forces.
In turn, the second Frida is a woman after experiencing hardships. She no longer has a magical amulet in her hands; instead, she holds sharp scissors with which she inflicts pain on herself, severely wounding her heart and piercing the aorta that connects her to her past self.
The two figures serve as a prelude to Kahlos final metamorphosis. Frida shows that she will never be the same again; her heart is filled with pain, and she has forever parted ways with the past. This fact is further emphasized by the disturbing image of the sky, where storm clouds are gathering. Thus, the theme of the painting is female suffering due to unrequited love. It turns out that she is so consumed by this feeling that such a loss is equivalent to losing her former identity and inner life.
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The Frida on the left wears a Victorian-style white lace dress, adorned with intricate embroidery. Her heart is open, and a surgical instrument in her hand is cutting a vein, from which blood drips onto her dress, staining it and a small dangling cage. This Frida appears to be the rejected Frida, the one unloved and perhaps the one deeply affected by pain.
The Frida on the right is dressed in a more contemporary, Mexican-inspired outfit, a blue blouse with yellow trim and a green skirt. Her heart is also exposed, but it is whole and intact. She holds a locket in her hand, possibly containing a miniaturized portrait of Diego Rivera, her tumultuous love. This Frida seems to represent the stronger version of herself, the one supported by love, or perhaps the one she wishes to be.
The stormy, cloud-filled background adds to the emotional intensity of the painting, reflecting the inner turmoil and emotional landscape of the artist. The two figures, despite their differences in attire and the state of their hearts, are linked by their shared humanity (and shared bloodline), and by their physical connection through their hands and the circulatory system.
The subtext of The Two Fridas is rich with interpretations related to duality, identity, heartbreak, and self-love. It is widely seen as a representation of Kahlos dual heritage (German father, Mexican mother), her fractured sense of self, and the profound emotional pain she experienced, particularly during her divorce from Diego Rivera. The painting explores the concept of a self divided, yet deeply interconnected, grappling with love, loss, and the enduring strength of the human spirit.