Frida Kahlo

Outfit design one , one of the 3 runaway designs I have chosen to develop, shows a set of what are supposed to represent umbilical chords, extending from the abdomen. This is supposed to symbolise the subject being painfully bound to her neglectful or abusive mother. No matter how much the subject tries to escape, she is still her mother and impacts her life, even if it's painful.

I have chosen to look at the Mexican surrealist painter, Frida Kahlo, who also portrays themes of mother and child and emotional pain.

Below is Frida's painting Henry Ford Hospital. When Frida was a teenager, she was involved in a terrible bus accident which fractured her pelvis and back, leaving her in great physical pain for the rest of her life. Her uterus was also damaged in the accident which left her unable to bear children. Frida often portrayed the heartbreak of not being able to have children in her paintings. The painting below, in which she is the subject, followed her second miscarriage. She lies naked on a bed, her belly slightly swollen and blood coming from her reproductive organs. A single tear comes from her left eye, portraying her sadness. Frida has painted herself holding 6 red extended pieces of string to her abdomen, which resemble umbilical chords. This is extremely similar to my design. Tied to the ends of the umbilical chords are things that relate to the miscarriage. An unborn foetus is attached to one string from its belly button, where a real umbilical chord would extend from. The foetus symbolises the child Frida is unable to have. The snail symbolises the slow process and heartbreak of the miscarriage. The pinkish object in the top left hand corner is Frida's portrayal of "the insides of a woman". The orchid was a gift given to her by her then husband, Diego Rivera. The machine represents the mechanical process of a miscarriage. Lastly, the shattered pelvis is meant to be Frida's own, the reason she cannot bear children. This piece relates to my design because it is highly emotive, portrays a troubling experience. It too uses the connection between mother and child and the umbilical chord as a theme, although the relationship between mother and child is portrayed differently in my design and Frida Kahlo's painting. I could possibly take inspiration from Frida Kahlo and on the ends of each umbilical chord in my design I could have objects that relate to the theme of runaway.


Henry Ford Hospital


Below is Frida's painting The Two Fridas. It followed her divorce from Mexican painter Diego Rivera, who had many affairs during their marriage. The painting depicts two versions of Frida. On the right, the Frida that was loved by and married to Diego, and on the left, the broken hearted Frida whom Diego abandoned. The Frida on the left wears traditional Mexican dress and holds a locket holding Diego's portrait from when he was a child, while the Frida on the left is dressed in a more European style. Kahlo wrote in her diary that the idea came from an imaginary friend she had as a child and the painting reflects the emotional distress of her marriage and divorce. Both Friedas' hearts are exposed. Frida Kahlo often included exposed internal body part in her paintings to express emotional pain. The heart on the right is whole, symbolising when she was in love with Diego. The heart on the left has been ripped open, symbolising her heart break. The clouds in the background look wild and unruly, symbolising the emotional turmoil of the whole experience. The two Frida's hold hands, showing that the artist is her only companion in these unfortunate circumstances. A single vein links the hearts together and is eventually cut off by the Frida on the left who is then unable to control the bleeding. This could express a desire to harm herself after the divorce. The way the hearts are exposed makes the piece very emotive. If I put a heart on the outside of my outfit, I think it would express a lot more emotion, and I am aiming for a highly emotive piece. I designed a few outfits for the cancer patient theme with exposed internal body part, hinting at the physical damage of cancer. If I incorporated these elements into my final design, I think the design would be more emotive and even more relevant to the theme. Blood is also very emotive and shocking too. The scenery also depicts Frida Kahlo's feelings. Once I have designed the final look I could start thinking about how the background could help express the theme and mood. The Frida on the right holds a portrait of Diego. I previously had the idea for the cancer patient photo shoot to fill the background with photos of friends and family because I want the support aspect of experiencing cancer to be strongly expressed in the photo shoot for a more optimistic outlook on the illness.


The Two Fridas

Research Resources:

http://arthistory.about.com/od/from_exhibitions/ig/frida_kahlo/Frida-Kahlo-Henry-Ford-Hospital-1932.htm
http://littleblackbookofart.com/2010/04/24/most-comprehensive-show-of-frida-kahlos-work-ever-staged-opens-in-berlin/
http://www.artinternationalwholesale.com/Frida-Kahlo-reproduction-oil-paintings.html
http://accordingtohind.wordpress.com/2012/03/17/frida-kahlo/
http://www.artknowledgenews.com/Frida_Kahlo_Philadelphia_Museum_Of_Art.html
http://www.fridakahlofans.com/c0090.html
http://www.fridakahlofans.com/c0290.htm