Frida Kahlo was an inspiration to many artists, and was considered to be a well known feminist painter in Mexico during the 20th century.
At such a young age, Kahlo contracted polio, a disease that prevents a person from moving their limbs and causes paralysis. The disease spread to most of her leg and foot, but even with this disability, she persevered by playing sports which involved having to use her legs and arms, such as swimming and soccer, so that she could recover.
In her older years, she was romantically attracted to Alejandro Goméz Arias. However, whilst they traveled on a bus, the vehicle collided with a streetcar, resulting in Frida Kahlo’s left hip being impaled and fracturing several bones. She had to stay at the hospital until she had recovered, but in order to spend her time wisely, she started to create her first self-portrait. She finished the following year after her recovery.
Some of the main themes in her portraits include death, love, peace and selfhood. Her paintings represent her female identity, and some of her paintings have symbols that represent her, like ribbons, hair and animals. Frida Kahlo challenged gender normalities and uplifted women, specifically upcoming Mexican artists, by influencing self-portraits and the creativity of expression through art. She loved to express her features and was a prominent feminist figure throughout the 20th century.
