Exploring Frida Kahlo’s connection to flowers

For fans of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-54), the exhibition celebrating the 100th anniversary of her birth is a must-see. “Frida Kahlo” started at the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis walkerart.org, runs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art philamuseum.org though May 18 and will be at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art sfmoma.org from June 16-Sept. 28.

I saw the show in Philadelphia and noticed how closely Kahlo was connected to nature, especially flowers. With that in mind, I asked Betsy Carpenter, associate curator at the Walker Art Center to share her thoughts on that connection (see the Q&A below).

I also found out that Tim Farrell of Farrell’s Florist in Drexel Hill, PA, farrellsflorist.com, provided the flower arrangements for a special event at the Philly museum. As you can see from these pictures, he did a terrific job.

Flowers at Frida Kahlo show

There was also an uncommon bonus: “The event actually was true to the heritage of the artist since the flowers were all varieties that can be bought from Mexican growers,” says Farrell.

And now the Q&A with assistant curator Betsy Carpenter.

Q Do you think flowers were a significant motif in Kahlo’s work?
A Absolutely, Kahlo included flowers and vegetation in many of her paintings—sometimes flowers are seen in her works as ornaments in her often meticulously coiffed hairstyles, but more often they provide fascinating and often shallow, claustrophobic backdrops for her self-portraits.

Kahlo also frequently connected herself to the world of nature and the earth by creating elaborate roots systems in several of her paintings.

Q Why might she have been drawn to flowers?
A In 1925, Kahlo was involved in a near-fatal bus accident in which she sustained injuries that caused her great pain and physical disability for the rest of her life.

After the accident Kahlo was forced to stay at home, and at times she was bound to her bed for weeks or months at a time. Her artist studio was situated in her home, not far from her bed. Nothing, not even this terrible accident, kept her from working.

This may, in part, account for why she painted so many self-portraits, and I believe is one reason she may have painted flowers and plants in such detail. She lived most of her life at the Casa Azul (Blue House), her childhood home in the village of Coyoacán, which was built around a gorgeous courtyard filled with flora and fauna. It is not surprising that she turned to flowers and plants to communicate her subject matter.

Kahlo may have also been drawn to flowers because she was fascinated with the theme of fertility, which reinforced her conviction of the unity of all things—human beings, flower and plants, animals, the earth, the sun and moon, and the universe.

This idea of interconnectedness prompted her to paint several hybrids that combine plant and animal forms with human anatomy. This fascination with fertility may also have come in part from Kahlo’s thwarted wish to have a child—she was never able to carry a baby to term.

Q What, if any, symbolism did flowers hold for Kahlo?
A The flowers in her paintings often serve as symbols of fertility and fecundity, reaffirming her intimate awareness of the relative brevity of the cycle of life. Kahlo would have known that Aztec poets used plant imagery to reinforce the fact that life and death are inevitable, and in her quest to celebrate her national heritage, explored the same themes of her ancient ancestors.

Q How did painting flowers help connect her to heritage?
A In her work she expressed her passionate embrace of Mexicanidád—a revaluing of indigenous culture and an ethos shared by many artists, writers, and musicians in the years following the Mexican Revolution (1910-1920). Kahlo’s images, which included fantastical flowers and plants, were grounded in Mexican popular art, as well as her day to day realities and her immediate environment.

By including flowers native to Mexico in her compositions, she was able to celebrate her national heritage, and share the beauty of Mexico’s natural world with people from all over the world.

Do you have a favorite flower painter or painting? Write in and tell us why you love it.

Flower Fact of the Day: Remember that this is the week to express your thanks and appreciation to your secretarial/admin staff. What says “fantastic job” better than flowers?

Jacqueline - Editor

April 21, 2008

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Comments (2)

Comments

S. Malik

Well i think, Dutch painters have been good at flower paintings than in any other region. Like Gerard van spaendnock. He has some very nice flower paintings to his credit

Shirley

Very interesting article. What an opportunity to have seen the Phil. show. I think her paintings did have a sexual tone/quality to them & now I understand why. Loved reading about her & her interpretation of flowers
Hope you can visit the San Francisco exhibit & have another report !

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