About Today Is Art Day Patch - Self-Portrait with Monkeys
Self-Portrait with Monkeys by Frida Kahlo
About Self-Portrait with Monkeys Flora and fauna feature prominently in Kahlo’s paintings, often representing larger themes within her work. In this painting, Kahlo is surrounded by four monkeys, which she kept as pets in Coyoacán. Her pets have frequently been described as surrogates for her maternal energies.
Frida’s menagerie comprised chickens, sparrows, macaws, spider monkeys and parakeets, Bonito the parrot and a fawn named Granizo.
Frida Kahlo was an inspiration to a nation in a time that Mexican identity was beginning to come into its own. Frida was both a perpetual feminist icon and a monument to Latin American literature. The bulk of her work, while highly personal, also found within it a voice that spoke to an entire nation. She will always remain for her signature style and the unflinching truth conveyed by her images.
Pieces of Frida Kahlo, such as The Frame illustrate how personal and important her artwork was in shaping her life. By allowing herself an outlet for her vast interior life, she brought a simple, unadulterated beauty to the real world. Often thought of like a surrealist, she would deny the title, claiming that, unlike dreamlike and subconscious imagery the Surrealists dealt with, her imagery was taken from her own life.
Phenomenal talent and a highly individualistic and introspective person, Kahlo will always remain for her honesty and her deeply personal works. Kahlo inspired a nation and countless artists.
