The Diary of Frida Kahlo
"The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait" is a deeply personal journal created by the renowned Mexican painter Frida Kahlo during the last decade of her life. This period was marked by significant physical and emotional challenges, particularly following a severe accident in 1925 that led to chronic health issues and multiple surgeries, including the amputation of her leg in 1953. The diary reflects her evolving state of mind, transitioning from vibrant, humorous expressions to more somber and reflective themes over time.
Central to Kahlo's writings are her complex relationship with her husband, Diego Rivera, illustrated through poignant imagery and metaphors. She often intertwines her personal experiences with broader political beliefs, particularly communism, which she embraced as a source of strength and purpose amidst her suffering. The diary also features notable visual elements, including symbolic representations of her disconnection from her body, such as disembodied feet, and recurring motifs like her beloved pet dog, Mr. Xolotl, which evoke her contemplation of death.
Overall, the diary serves as a testament to Kahlo's resilience, creativity, and the rich interplay between her identity, her cultural heritage, and her struggles, making it a significant piece of both artistic and feminist history.
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The Diary of Frida Kahlo
First published: 1995
The Work
The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait was drawn, painted, and written during the last decade of the Mexican painter’s life. During these years, her health, precarious since a 1925 accident, declined precipitously. She spent the years from 1944 until her death encased in a series of eight surgical corsets, often bedridden or confined to a wheelchair. In 1953, she was forced to have her gangrenous left leg amputated; her spirit never entirely recovered, and she died on July 13, 1954. The evidence of Kahlo’s declining physical and mental state is evident as the exuberant free associations and humor of the earlier pages of the diary give way to reflection and more painful images.
The entire written part of the journal is suffused with her relationship with her husband, the Mexican muralist Diego Rivera. One of the most potent images, which she repeats through the journal, in defining their relationship is that of the chemical groups auxochrome and chromophore: “You were called auxochrome, the one who captures color. I chromophore—the one who gives color.” The one sketch in the diary that led to a painting depicts her vision of their relationship: She cradles Diego in her arms as he holds the fire of creativity in his hands; both are embraced by the Mexican earth goddess and the spirit of the universe.
In the six-page “Outline of my life,” Kahlo describes a battle during the Mexican Revolution that she witnessed at the age of four. She credits her early exposure to the spirit of revolution for her political beliefs. Throughout the latter part of the journal Kahlo is engaged with analyzing and reaffirming her faith in communism. The party’s dialectical materialism appealed to her, and its revolutionary fervor gives her a purpose to survive.
On facing pages of the journal she pairs a poster drawing of a hammer and sickle, inscribed with the names of Karl Marx, Friedrich Engels, Vladimir Ilich Lenin, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Zedong, with a pictographic painting of an Aztec pyramid rising into a sky containing the painted words luna (moon) and sol (sun). In the foreground of the painting is a female figure dressed in traditional Mexican clothes which Kahlo labels yo? (me?). The juxtaposition of revolutionary Marxism with traditional symbols of Aztec culture is typical of Kahlo’s idealization of Mexico’s past and what she hoped was its future.
The other predominant images in the final pages of the journal are of broken and disconnected body parts, especially feet. Other recurring images are her dog, Mr. Xolotl, and winged figures, often identified with Kahlo. The images reflect her vulnerability. The disembodied feet reflect her preoccupation with her disintegrating body. On one page she addresses her beloved pet as “The Lord Xolotl ambassador of the Universal Republic of Xibalba Mictlan,” the Mexican underworld. His presence symbolically represents her own journey toward death. The winged figures serve as symbolic images of her desire for release. The final drawing in the journal, probably the last painting she made, is a green winged creature with blackened legs. It leaves a trail of blood. She wrote: “I hope the leaving is joyful—and I hope never to return—Frida.”
Bibliography
Booklist. XCII, October 1, 1995, p. 244. A review of The Diary of Frida Kahlo.
Herrera, Hayden. Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo. New York: Harper & Row, 1983.
Herrera, Hayden. Frida Kahlo: The Paintings. New York: HarperCollins, 1991.
Lowe, Sarah M. Frida Kahlo. Universe Series on Women Artists. New York: Universe, 1991.
New Statesman and Society. VIII, November 17, 1995, p. 38. A review of The Diary of Frida Kahlo.
The New York Times Book Review. C, November 19, 1995, p. 12. A review of The Diary of Frida Kahlo.
Publishers Weekly. CCXLII, October 9, 1995, p. 72. A review of The Diary of Frida Kahlo.
The Spectator. CCLXXV, November 4, 1995, p. 43. A review of The Diary of Frida Kahlo.
Vanity Fair. September, 1995, p. 176. A review of The Diary of Frida Kahlo.