Anton on Frida Kahlo
Frida and Diego, limited edition prints by Anton Haardt:
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During my years of travel and searching in Mexico, I moved through obscure villages and unique peoples, coming across worlds far removed from the modernized attractions of Cancun, Puerto Vallarta etc... I labored to find the soul of the places I visited, most often finding it in the art and crafts of the villagers. However, nothing captured my attention like the artwork of Frida Kahlo. I was drawn to her work by the intensity and irony she brought to her subjects, the constant themes of pain against the ecstasy of creation. Her spirit, as illustrated in art, inspired me and she became a role model for my own experiences, a hero for my emulation.
Frida stands today as a pillar of feminine subversiveness, pain and strength. She took the adversity she faced and channeled it into her art. From age 18, a tragic accident shattered her spine, sent a handrail through her pelvis, and kept her in constant pain, a pain magnified by her married life to famed muralist Diego Rivera. Their love was a constant struggle against his infidelity, and yet she used this to explore her own sexual desires, and to fuel her own creative ruminations on loneliness and agony. Even marks of ugliness, like her famous unibrow and mustache, became pronounced elements in her iconic self-portraits. The challenges and shortcomings she faced in her life were mastered in her art, and turned into symbols of empowerment for future generations.
Still, her life is impossible to romanticize. The tragedies of several miscarriages (due to her accident at 18), drug addictions and mental imbalance factored heavily into her death at 44 in 1954.
Though often labeled "The Queen of Pain," the association with female misery does not address the often lurid, free sexuality depicted in her paintings, nor does it allude to the sense of strength and confidence that so much of her work exudes. Though she only completed 150 paintings, her unique vision and confrontational subject matter have no equal in 20th century art, and her commitment to her own individuality stands today as an inspiration to women searching for new inspiration in the post feminism world.
Though she took several art classes, Frida was not an extremely trained artist like her husband, Diego Rivera. Her style was more of a naive approach to painting, one that today would certainly be defined as self taught. Like many of the folk artist in my gallery, Frida was an outsider with a natural talent and vision that produced utterly unique results. During her life, she was often labeled a "surrealist" painter, to which she responded, "No I am not. A surrealist is a person painting in a surrealistic style. I am a woman living a surrealistic life who paints what I see."
When I lived in Mexico City years ago, I visited Frida's home in Coyacan, a neighboring town outside Mexico City. One day I took the local bus down the cobblestone street to find her home. On the corner stood the bright blue house that is now the Frida Kahlo museum. I walked trancelike through the rooms, feeling like an intruder as I entered her bedroom and touched the bed where she had lain flat on her back to paint her famous portraits.
I moved through the kitchen where she and Diego had their morning cinnamon coffee and sweetbread, the walls decorated with their names. Their bright blue home was covered personal touches, each room created with a love of visual beauty shared by husband and wife. The intense decor of the home provided a window of understanding into Frida's relationship with Diego. Though obviously their love was troubled and often a struggle, I could see that their love of art was a powerful ground which probably helped sustain them through the challenges they faced.
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For most of her life, Frida lived in the shadow of her husband Diego. Over the past 20 years however, more and more attention as been placed on her paintings, her personality and her life story. The recent biopic starring Salma Hayek is another sign that her place in the ranks of the most significant artists of the 20th century is secure.
In the spirit of celebrating her enduring work, The Anton Haardt Gallery is offering several limited edition silkscreen lithographs of famous Frida portraits, made outside Puerto Vallarta Mexico. Also, wonderfully unique Frida Dolls made by a local peasant woman outside Yelapa, Mexico. The 20" dolls are dressed in the colorful, traditional mexican dress Frida commonly wore, and bear her famous unibrow.
Finally, I have also made available my own depiction of Frida and Diego in a limited edition print of a piece I made several years ago. These prints are a single run, each signed and numbered. I invite you to contact our gallery if you wish to get further information on Frida or any of these pieces. Frida continues to be larger than life, and continues to inspire generations of young women as she inspired me. -- Anton
