When Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, she was acclaimed in her native Mexico, but not widely known internationally. It-like the rest of her work-has gotten more famous since her passing. While the self-snapped smartphone picture is commonly derided as the product of narcissism, art critic Jerry Saltz has claimed selfies are just the latest evolution in self-portraits. Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird is an ancestor to the selfie. Others suggest the primate symbolizes their tormented romance-after all, the monkey is the one tugging the thorn necklace tight enough to make its wearer bleed.
Some say he'd given one to Kahlo as a pet. The monkey on her back-as it were-is frequently believed to be a symbol for Rivera. That monkey might symbolize Kahlo's ex-husband. So an alternate interpretation of Kahlo's hummingbird pendant is as a symbol of Huitzilopochtli, the Aztec god of war. Perhaps the weight of this symbol, this battle, is what makes Kahlo bleed. Kahlo often blended elements from Mexican and Aztec culture into her work. Of their love, Kahlo once said, "I have suffered two grave accidents in my life, one in which a streetcar knocked me down . Kahlo's painting proved to be eerily prescient when she remarried Rivera in December of 1940. In Mexican culture, the hummingbird is a symbol of good luck-but notice the black cat ready to pounce. Its hummingbird is a symbol of hope …Ĭlearly painted during a dark time in her life, Kahlo shows her wish for love renewed with the little bird dangling from her necklace of thorns. The butterflies on Kahlo's head have been interpreted as symbols of her own personal resurrection, leading some to believe that Kahlo is comparing herself directly to Jesus Christ. Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird may be blasphemous.Īrt historians note that Kahlo's simple white frock hints at martyrdom, while the thorn necklace can be seen as a reference to Jesus's crown of thorns, worn as he dragged his cross to be crucified. She'd also split from photographer Nickolas Muray, who purchased Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird when Kahlo was struggling financially. Rivera wasn't the only love Kahlo left in 1939. The couple's 10-year marriage was tumultuous Kahlo and Rivera became notorious for their constant fighting and frequent infidelity. It's believed the thorn necklace piercing Kahlo's neck reflects the pain she was experiencing over this separation. In 1929, Kahlo wed fellow Mexican painter Diego Rivera. These self-portraits have often been described as surreal, but the groundbreaking artist answered such comments with, "They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn’t. Over the years, it became her habit to paint a portrait of herself whenever she was troubled. Its creation was part of Kahlo's coping ritual.īedbound while recovering from a grisly streetcar accident, a young Kahlo taught herself to paint.
Explaining her penchant for the style, Kahlo said, "I paint myself because I am so often alone, because I am the subject I know best." 2. Though she'd go on to make 143 paintings in her life, Kahlo was best known for her reflective self-portraits that laid bare the tragedies she'd endured. It is one of 55 self-portraits Kahlo painted in her lifetime. Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird is her most popular, and also one that contains many tokens of her life and work.
Surrealist painter Frida Kahlo has been called one of Mexico's greatest artists because of her brutal and revealing self-portraits.
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