I was honestly not thrilled about driving up to San Francisco for this event but was appreciative of the experience. I had never been to an art exhibit before and frankly had no clue as to what to expect. Of course it was hectic and crazy especially on a Friday afternoon which is when I could manage to squeeze in the trip. It was extremely difficult not to mention frustrating to actually get a view of the paintings without squinting between all the bodies. I felt rather nervous and rushed when I was able to get up close as others breathed down my neck for a glimpse. I had never even seen her paintings except for her famous face that is all over mugs, shopping bags, and mousepads these days. I immediately was struck by the gory images with great confusion often scrambling to quickly absorb the paintings colors, textures, and meaning. I unfortunately did not notice the audio option before going in and didn't want to waste time trying to figure out whether I could still have the option to use it. So I continued to experience a wave of reactions as I moved about like a pawn on a chess board.
"The Broken Column",1944.
This portrait was remarkably difficult to keep my gaze from averting from it. I could feel the exhaustion of pain in her eyes, the helplessness, and agony. I saw the nails all over her body and I just thought in my head, "I know Frida, exactly." I can never compare the excruciating pain that she underwent with my own but I can sure empathize. I've dealt with years of dreadful physical pain from migraines, neck and back injuries, and chronic myofascial pain. Interesting how her painting made me acknowledge the mental affect as well. The weight that such suffering can bear on the soul beyond the physical trauma can be life altering.
"Me and My Parrots",1941.
I was in awe how the details of this painting just seemed to pop out at me. Her sleeves etched with defined folds and her white shirt so bright in contrast to the dark backdrop. The beautiful shine of her hair so elegantly braided and the attention to every strand that was carefully stroked on canvas. Her parrots are so individually characterized with different textures as though you could feel those with ruffled chests or smooth wings. Even their expressions are unique amongst her gaze. I especially liked the dark and lighter shades of an almost grape purple in her skirt that appeared subtle until I inspected the lower portion more closely I realized how vivid it was. A picture or poster of her works are not comparable to actually seeing the real art with your own two eyes.
Influence of Mesoamerican/Pre-Hispanic art on Frida's work:
"The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth, Me, and Señor Xolot", 1949.This painting displays a very strong pre-hispanic influence from the Tehuana dress she is wearing to the division of darkness with moon and lightness with the sun. She is held in the arms of a pre-columbian idol as though her roots are embracing her, possible comfort?
"Nina Tehuacana Lucha Maria,"1942.
Here we see the pyramids and again the moon and sun are used to divide the opposites. The young girls left ear resembles a rabbit like in the moon. I wondered the link if any to the following information from Acientweb.org. "The Moon Goddess was the female deity associated with the moon. She holds in her arms a rabbit, a symbol of fertility, whose profile can be seen on the face of the moon. She was an ancient god who was worshipped by most mesoamericans. She was the wife of the sun, but her true name has not passed down to us."
3 comments:
gina- I am sorry you had to deal with teh hustle and bustle of of a Friday museum crowd--I do know how annoying that is! but I really am glad you went and I thank you for sharing your responses to her work...and yes there is something awe inspiringly real when you are in front of her works close up--something so poetically different then when seeing her work mass reproduced on other forms. It is exactly what you felt that I truly believe she wanted to bring to teh canvas and convey,.
Great comment. I hope you enjoyed the depth that you went into in those split seconds when you forgot about the crowd. You seem like you understand art better than most. You should visit more museums.
Gina-I really enjoyed reading your blogs. Your use of descriptive words allowed me to feel like I was in the room with you. I too have struggled with migraine headaches with no avail from medical professionals and neck and back pain from physical trauma I experienced throughout my 23 years of life. I too felt connected to Frida's pain. To her use of facial expressions and the deep reflection of inner agony that was mirrored in her deep captivating eyes.
Thank you for sharing your personal experience of struggle and relating it to the deep emotions expressed through Frida's paintings.
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