Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo is often known for her very subjective and picturesque paintings. She painted many self-portraits that invited audiences to see herself through her own eyes. In this sense, one can interpret her subjective construction of herself through her paintings. One of the most salient characteristics is the constant use of Mexican imagery that she infused her paintings with. An analysis of this reveals that this is not just a means of creating an identity. It is also a cry against the hegemonic tendencies that empires have attempted to impose on Mexico, by changing its culture.
There have been two important countries that have attempted to strip Mexico from its cultural identity: Spain and the United States of America. By reaffirming her Mexican identity, Kahlo refused to be assimilated into the cultures of these other countries. “Her work reveals ‘Mexicanidad’ (love of things Mexican), an expression of a popular nationalism and political radicalism that occurred in post-revolutionary Mexico” (Motian-Meadows). After their revolution, Mexicans started feeling a part of and loving their own country and heritage. Kahlo was no exception, waving a Mexican flag across the world so that everybody could know how great Mexico was—without needing to follow countries that were supposedly better.
In conclusion, one can say that Frida Kahlo identified herself as a Mexican, portraying it culture throughout her pictures. One can interpret this not only as a subjective position but also as a rejection of other options. In particular, she refuses to be assimilated into either Spanish or American cultures, preferring those of her ancestors and place of birth. As such, one can take Kahlo’s oeuvre not only to be a celebration of what it means to be Mexican but also as a refusal to be a part of the normalizing globalist tendency.
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