140. The Two fridas. Frida Kahlo. 1939 CE Oil on canvas.

• Content
  • On the left: Kahlo is dressed as a Spanish lady in which lace, linking her to a European heritage
  • On the right: Kahlo dressed as a Mexican peasant–the stiffness and provincial quality of Mexican folk art was a direct inspiration for the artist
  • Behind is a barren landscape; two figures sit against a wildly active sky
• Context
  • There is a juxtaposition to two self-portraits
  • Kahlo’s two hearts are joined together by veins that are cut by scissors at one end and lead to a portrait of her husband, artist Diego Rivera, at the other; painted at the time of their divorce
  • The vein acts as an umbilical cord; symbolism: Rivera as both husband and son.
  • Blood on her lap suggests many abortions and miscarriages; also, surgeries related to her health issues
  • Kahlo rejected the label Surrealism for her artwork