by Irene Fantopoulos
Kahlo (1907-1954) and Diego (1886-1957), Mexican artists, husband and wife and major contributors to the art world in the first half of the twentieth century.
Much of Diego’s work encapsulates the two revolutionary worlds that dominated his life: the Mexican Revolution from 1910 to 1920 and the Russian Revolution of 1917. While he is known mostly as a muralist, his art focused on rural Mexican life and his support of communism. He believed that labourers and peasants should be free from oppression, a nod to Karl Marx. He painted 200 murals for the Ministry of Education, Mexico City.
Kahlo’s art embodies her own personal life which was plagued by debilitating injuries that were the result of a near-fatal bus accident when she was 20. The injuries caused her great physical pain and tragedy throughout her life. A considerable number of her canvasses are self-portraits because, in her words, “I paint myself because I am alone. I am the subject I know best.” Other aspects of her art include the symbiotic relationship between humans and plants.
Kahlo’s and Diego’s art, life and volatile relationship are on display at the Art Gallery of Ontario till January 20, 2013. The exhibit is co-organized by the AGO, The High Museum of Art, Atlanta and The Museo Dolores Olmedo, Mexico City.
Immerse yourself in the lives and art of these famous Mexican artists and enter a world that is both poignant and sometimes horrific as the artists capture on canvas moments in their personal lives and the world around them.
Kahlo’s life was depicted in the biopic, entitled Frida in 2002, which starred Salma Hayak, a Mexican-American actor.
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