Frida Kahlo

I was really hesitant to do this assignment originally. I am not an art person and couldn’t begin to write “impressionistic description”, but after looking at the different pieces Frida Kahlo has created I was actually moved. I am familiar with some of his work but had no idea he had done so many paintings. As I browsed through them, I was aware of how detailed and graphic Kahlo’s work is. I also noticed how similar all of his artwork seemed to be. For this assignment I chose a painting done by Frida Kahlo that I caught my eye the most. The painting is called Self Portrait Along the Border Line Between Mexico and The United States.
In this portrait Frida has painted a Mexican woman wearing a pink gown. In one hand she holds a Mexican Flag and in the other a cigarette. The woman is standing on a cement block with an engraving carved in the stone. On the ground to her left are what appears to be fans and lights, electricity. To the woman’s right is soft dirt and vegetables. In the background, past the lights, the artist has drawn buildings and a factory with the word FORD painted on the smoke stacks. Polluted air fills the sky and a faint American flag is seen. On the side with the vegetables Kahlo has painted rocks, dirt and a tomb. The sun, the moon and lightening are also incorporated and ancient artifacts liter the earth.
I loved staring at this painting. I found it to be extremely symbolic and had me thinking about so many things. Frida Kahlo clearly portrayed the cultural differences between the countries of Mexico and the United States. He painted the U.S as a money and power hungry society that revolves around our factories and companies of any sort. The painting shows the pollution and sky scrapers as consuming our country. On the other hand, Mexico is seen as being non-inhabited and culturally preserved. There is weather and clouds over looking fresh grown vegetables. There are artifacts are lying on the ground untouched and deserted. And no part of any industrial revolution is seen on the Mexico side. There isn’t electricity or production of any kind. I think the artist was trying to convey the concept of how different these countries are as well as what may be important to the people of these said countries. I also believe that the Mexican Flag represents Mexico, while the cigarette represents the United States, which speaks volumes. I have to admit even I see Mexico as Frida painted it, old and lacking industrial motivation. However I know this to be false. Mexico too has shops, factories and companies. But I found myself asking these questions; is the United States just as Frida Kahlo painted it? Has all or most of our sacred land become smoke stacks? Are we thought of by other countries as nothing but pollution?