Frida Kahlo Queen of Self-Portraits

Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist known for her self- portraits. Her paintings were influenced by the Mexican folk culture and the bright and vibrant colors that surrounded her.

As a young child she loved to draw.

When she was 6 years old, she contracted the polio virus, which damaged her leg. Frida was bedridden for 9 months.

When she was 18 years old she was in a bus accident. This left her with many broken bones. She spent 3 months in bed to recover.

After the initial recovery, she suffered from severe pain, which left her bedridden for months at a time.

In total, she underwent 35 surgeries.

Her parents made her a special easel and her father gave her his oil paints and brushes.

While bedridden, she took up painting to occupy her time.

She expressed the pain she was feeling in her paintings.

Can you find Mexico on the map?

Can you find Coyoacan on the map?

Frida Kahlo was born in Coyoacán, Mexico on July 6, 1907. She grew up in a house called La Casa Azul (the Blue House) with her parents and 6 sisters. Her father was of German ancestry and her mother was Amerindian. Frida’s house La Casa Azul is now a museum.

Frida was very proud of her heritage. She was inspired by traditional Mexican art, which is patterned, colorful and bright.

In her self-portraits, she featured animals such as parrots, monkeys, dogs and deer.

Frida also loved to paint gardens and vibrant colored fruits. Why Self-Portraits?

Frida stated, “I paint self-portraits because I am the person I know best.”

Frida painted over 70 self-portraits in her lifetime.

Frida painted self-portraits to cope with the boredom while immobilized in bed.

Self-Portraits over time

Self-portrait, 1922 (Age 15) Self-portrait, 1925 (Age 18)

Self-portrait, 1926 (Age 19) Self-portrait, 1937 (Age 30)

Self-portrait, 1940 (Age 33) Self-portrait, 1945 (Age 38) The Unibrow

Frida’s unibrow is important. She stated “I won’t curb my self-expression to meet your expectations of how a woman should look.” Her striking dark brow is a expression rejecting stereotypes about what is and isn’t attractive.

Frida celebrated her identity with Mexican features, upper lip and the shocking unibrow.

Frida Kahlo Queen of Self-Portrait Supplies you will need for this activity:

 Pencil  Paper  Glue Stick  Scissors  Magazine  Mirror  Colored pencils Art Docent Samples Drawing a face in steps

 Draw an oval  Draw the eyes on  Draw a triangle  For brow line,  Lightly draw a T the middle line. nose down to 2nd draw a line  Leave one “eye” line above the eyes. in between, then  Line up nostrils  Draw eyebrows erase. with the inside by beginning at  Divide the lower corner of the eye the inside corner space ½ & draw of eye and arch a line at outside corner of eye

Drawing a face in steps

 Split lower part of  Draw ears  Add hair – face and draw lips between eye hairline can on the line. Lips brow line and extend above and extended to nose line. lower hair line! width of nostrils.

Drawing a face in steps

 Draw an oval  Draw the eyes on the  Draw a triangle nose  For brow line, draw a  Lightly draw a T middle line. down to 2nd line line above the eyes.  Leave one “eye” in  Line up nostrils with the  Draw eyebrows by between, then erase. inside corner of the eye beginning at the inside  Divide the lower space corner of eye and arch ½ & draw a line at outside corner of eye

 Split lower part of face  Draw ears between eye  Add hair – hairline can and draw lips on the brow line and nose line. extend above and lower line. Lips extended to hair line! width of nostrils.