Frida Kahlo (1907-1954): Pain and Passion

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954): Pain and Passion by Andrea Kettenmann was first published in 1992. Since then it has been reprinted several times. This review is based on a hardcover version that was published in 2015.

The author Andrea Kettenmann studied art history in Giessen, Göttingen and Heidelberg before joining the department of art history at the University of Hamburg. In 1986 she visited Mexico on a fellowship and now she lives there, working as a freelance art historian.

This biography of Frida Kahlo is a volume in a series about famous artists published by the German publishing house Taschen. There are more than 25 volumes in this series. A related series covers different types of art. There are nine volumes in this series. A second related series covers architecture. There are eight volumes in this series.

While the book is published by a German publisher, there is no need to worry about the language, because everything in it is in English.

The main text is divided into six chapters which follow a chronological line from 1907 when Frida was born until 1954 when she passed away. At the end of the book there is a timeline which covers Frida's life and work. There is also a section called "Notes" with references. Finally there is a section with photo credits.

What about illustrations? The book is illustrated throughout. All paintings are in colour, unless the original happens to be a drawing in black-and-white. Almost every painting by Frida that is mentioned in the text is shown in the book; in most cases text and illustration are placed next to each other, which is very reader-friendly.

Some illustrations are photos. Because they were taken long ago, they are in black-and-white. We cannot complain about that.

PART ONE

This biography of Frida Kahlo covers her life and her career. Obviously, there is a strong focus on her work as an artist.

We meet the people around her. Her family and her friends. The most important person in her life is Diego Rivera, who was twenty-one years her senior. In him she found her soul mate. They were both artists and both belonged to the left wing of politics; sometimes they were members of the pro-Soviet Communist Party of Mexico.

They worked in different ways: Diego painted large murals on walls, while Frida usually painted small motives on a canvas, but they complemented each other very well. Their styles were also different: Diego often used the history of Mexico as his theme, while Frida often made portraits of herself, but they shared a deep interest in the history of their country.

Frida and Diego were married in 1929. They lived in Mexico and for a while in the US. In 1939 they divorced, but in 1940 they were married again. This time they remained together until 1954 when Frida passed away. Perhaps they could not live together, but on the other hand they could not live without each other. They were soul mates.

The author knows her topic very well. She shows how events in Frida's life are closely reflected in her paintings. Every time a painting is presented, the author offers an interpretation of the motive. The author has a good eye for details. She explains the meaning of every item in the painting. This approach is very reader-friendly.

According to the subtitle, this book is about the pain and the passion of Frida Kahlo, and the subtitle is very appropriate. We learn about Frida's passion for life and for art. We also learn about the physical pain she suffered in her life, even though she did nothing to deserve it.

In 1913, when was around six years old, she was hit by polio. She recovered from this attack, but not completely. In 1925, when she was 18 years old, she was a passenger on a bus that was involved in a serious accident. She survived, but for the rest of her life she suffered from problems related to this accident. Her spine was injured. For long periods she was unable to walk. She had to remain in bed. She became pregnant several times but she was never able to keep the baby. She had a miscarriage every time.

The pain in her life was not only physical, it was also mental. Diego had affairs with other women which made her sad and angry. She retaliated by having affairs with other men - and women - but this did not really solve the problem. Diego and Frida were passionate people. They loved each other, but sometimes they hated each other. The pain Frida felt on such occasions is reflected in some of her paintings.

PART TWO

Andrea Kettenmann has written an excellent biography which covers Frida's life and career in great detail. Most importantly, the author demonstrates the significance of Frida Kahlo; she shows why Frida Kahlo deserves to be recognised as an artist of international standing.

I like this book, and I want to give it a strong recommendation, but I have a few minor quibbles. Let me explain:

# 1. The author mentions that Diego was twenty-one years older than Frida, so we can calculate that he was born in 1886, but she never tells us when he died. He outlived Frida, but not for long. She died in 1954; he died only three years later, in 1957, at the age of 70.

#2. On page 43 the author says “Rivera had been sympathetic towards the Trotkyist League since 1933, when Leon Trotsky had started building up the Fourth International.”

While it is true that Trotsky had called for a new international in 1933, the Fourth International was not established until 1938, while Trotsky was living in Mexico.

In 1936, Frida and Diego had petitioned the Mexican government to grant political asylum to Trotsky, and the Mexican President Cardenas had granted their request. Trotsky and his family arrived in Mexico in 1937 and he remained in this country for the rest of his life.

# 3. The author mentions the Mexican artist David Alfaro Siqueiros, who was a friend of Diego's. But she fails to mention that David remained loyal to Stalin, while Diego began to lean towards Trotsky. David was so loyal to Stalin that he was ready to lead an armed attack on Trotsky's "fortress" which took place in May 1940. The attack failed. Trotsky survived, but it was a warning that Stalin was anxious to see Trotsky dead.

# 4. The author mentions that Frida and Diego invited Trotsky and his family to stay at the Blue House in Coyoacan (a suburb of Mexico City). They stayed there from 1937 to 1939. In 1939 they moved to another house in the same neighbourhood that is known as “the fortress.” But the author fails to tell us what happened to Trotsky afterwards. He was killed by Ramon Mercader, a Stalinist agent who had charmed his way into the building by pretending to be the boyfriend of Trotsky's assistant. In August 1940, when Ramon was alone with Trotsky in his study, he attacked him with a pick-axe. Trotsky died from his wounds the following day.

I realize this book is a biography of Frida Kahlo and not of Leon Trotsky, but the lives of Frida, Diego, and Trotsky are closely intertwined when we look at the years from 1936 to 1940. Since the author introduces Trotsky, she should also tell us how the story ends and not just leave him hanging in the air.

CONCLUSION

As stated above, these remarks are minor quibbles. I mention them here because they deserve to be mentioned but I will not allow them to disturb my overall impression of the book. Regardless of these minor quibbles I still think this is an excellent biography and I want to give it a strong recommendation.

PS # 1. If you come to Mexico City, you can visit the Blue House where Frida was born and grew up, where she lived for a while as an adult and where she died in 1954. Shortly after her death it was turned into a museum that is open to the public. 

 

You can also visit “the fortress” on Avenida Viena where Trotsky lived with his family from 1939 and where he was killed in 1940. After his death this building was also turned into a museum that is open to the public.

PS # 2. In the centre of Mexico City you can see some of the murals painted by Diego. In the courtyard of the National Palace you can see several panels which cover five hundred years of Mexican history (since the Spanish conquest around 1500). 

 

In a special museum known as Pabellon Diego Rivera, you can see the fascinating mural that is called Sunday Afternoon Dream in Alameda Park. A detail of this huge painting appears on page 60.

REFERENCES

 

# 1. Books about Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera

 

** Frida and Diego by Catherine Reef (2014)

** Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera by Helga Prignitz-Poda (2015)

 

# 2. Books about Trotsky and his time in Mexico

 
** Trotsky in Mexico, 1937-1940 by Alain Dugrand (1992)

** Stalin’s Nemesis: The Exile and Murder of Leon Trotsky by Bertrand Patenaude (2009) (2010) 

 

 

# 3. Film and video

Frida is a historical and biographical drama based on the life of Frida Kahlo which premiered in 2002.

 

Since this drama is made in the US, all characters speak English, even though they are from Mexico and they should speak Spanish!

 

Frida Kahlo is a documentary film which premiered in 2020.

It is an episode of the series Exhibition on Screen.

Run time = 90 minutes 

Becoming Frida Kahlo is a documentary film which premiered in 2023.

There are three episodes:

 

** Part 1 = Making and Breaking

** Part 2 = Love and Loss

** Part 3 = A Star is Born

Run time: 3 x 55 minutes = 165 minutes

*****