Access Type
Open Access Thesis
Date of Award
January 2016
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
M.A.
Department
Art and Art History
First Advisor
Dora Apel
Second Advisor
Jennifer Olmsted
Abstract
General scholarship on Frida Kahlo focuses on her personal life, so much so that her work is often viewed through a narrow autobiographical lens. Scholars have subjected her work to a psychoanalytical approach, and have overused her personal narrative as the basis of discussing her art. Her dramatic marriage to Rivera, her poor health and the loss of several pregnancies have led scholars to psychoanalyze her paintings. However, it is crucial to avoid reducing Kahlo’s art to merely her physical and emotional pain. This approach has been exhausted and may put Kahlo’s importance as an artist at risk. While Kahlo’s physical and emotional pain was undoubtedly a major source for her paintings, there are certainly other themes present throughout her oeuvre. Her paintings make intellectual statements about politics, culture, and national identity, which raise important and complex questions, and as a result complicates the personal approach to her artwork.
Recommended Citation
Tapia-Lynch, Katie Jean, "Frida Kahlo: A Post-Revolutionary Artist" (2016). Wayne State University Theses. 537.
https://digitalcommons.wayne.edu/oa_theses/537