Kahlo, Frida ___ 1907-1954 ___ Mexican ___ painter

BIOGRAPHICAL SUMMARY
Kahlo was born on the outskirts of Mexico City. Her father was a painter/photographer of German background whose family had originated in Romania. Aged six, she was struck down with polio, which permanently disfigured one leg. She studied at a National Preparatory School, which is where she first came in contact with the muralist, Diego Rivera, who had been commissioned to paint a mural in the school's auditorium. In 1925, she was involved in a serious bus accident (which would leave her further physically troubled for the rest of her life) and it was while recovering from this that she began to paint. A friend introduced her to Mexico City's artistic set; and in 1929 she married Diego Rivera. Their relationship was difficult, each one having numerous affairs, although it appears they were always very supportive of each other, not least with regard to their painting. Frida had an affair with Leon Trotsky; and both Frida and Diego were suspected of being involved in his death. The couple divorced in 1940, but then remarried. Frida's canvases are famously emotional and colourful, suitably echoing her life. She produced only about 200, these were primarily still lifes and portraits of herself, family and friends. Her diary does not record her everyday life, but is a collection of prose poetry, letters, paintings, and sketches.
A biography link
Wikipedia bio

DIARY DATES, CONTENT DESCRIPTORS
1944-1954 ___ love/sex art self creativity

WEB TEXT LINKS
a few pages
a few quotes
about

ORIGINAL MANUSCRIPT LINKS
 

SOME PUBLISHED TITLES
The Diary of Frida Kahlo - An Intimate Self Portrait
 

November 2005, July 2008
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IMPORTANT NOTES AND CAUTIONS: 1) The first line of basic information may be incomplete in several ways: some historical figures have different names (titles, pen-names); their birth and death dates may be unknown or uncertain (g - guess, c - circa); similarly, their occupations may be unknown, or they may have had other jobs; and, for early diarists, I've used 'British' a bit too freely. 2) The biographical summary may not be accurate. It was compiled quickly from various sources, mostly on the internet, and the facts were not checked anywhere near as rigorously as they would have been if they'd been intended for publication in a printed form. 3) The journal dates and descriptors (which are in no particular order) must be treated with caution: since I have not examined the diaries myself, the descriptors are only guesses based on bibliographies, anthologies and internet biographies. 4) For the biography and etext links, I have ignored any sites with charges, and I have avoided, wherever possible, those with pop-ups or too much advertising. I have limited myself to providing three etext links where there is some variety between them. 5) For the original manuscript links, I have limited myself to providing a maximum of two (although, for a few diarists, their original diaries are held in more than two places). 6) I have provided the titles - chosen randomly - for up to three printed editions of the diaries.