Frida Kahlo - Artista de Mexico

Last night I watched a special on PBS on the Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo. It was very moving for me...as many of her struggles struck cords in my own life. In particular...she had fallen in love with an older man...when she was about 17. He too was a famous Mexican artist, Diego Rivera. Her life was filled with strife, pain and heartache. In all of her young life...she died at 47...she never stopped loving Diego. Though she had married several times...had affairs and even had women...she only had one true love. That was Diego. I sad and moving story it was. I could relate to it in so many ways. Her paintings were extreme and graphic. She had done many stylized self portraits...that were stunning...to say the least. Many were her interetations of the pain in her life...some were quite gory and bloody. You could definately tell that she was painting from her most intimate regions of thought.

Apparently, when she was alive...her art was worth little (typical artist, you have to die before you are worth value!). Recently, one of her larger works sold at auction for 1.2 million dollars.
A hefty price for sure. Isn't it amazing that so many artists have to suffer so much before they
do their best work. A kindred spirit...her and I. Like her...one true love do I have...and so it is with artists like us. Like her, I have felt the pain of years of suffering. The one thing missing is that I have yet to take up the paint brush, pen and pencil again. I have yet to get over my art causing so much trouble 13 years ago. Perhaps someday I will again lift the brush to canvas...the pen to paper...the pencil to pad. But it will not be this day.

Kindred spirits indeed...Frida and I.