If one dares dishonor the image of Frida in Mexico or whisper “I don’t like her paintings very much”, one is taking the risk of getting attacked by an angry mob of Kahlo aficionados. She is the iconoclastic Mexican female painter loved by many and known as the “Heroine of Pain.” Denouncing her art would be an affront to everything that is held pure and sacred in Mexico. Saying, “I hate her” is the equivalent of saying you hate “The Day of The Dead,” “chilli” or “mezcal.”
She has been on the pedestal for decades and Kahlo’s image has been plastered on fashion designs, stationary products, shoes, clothes, posters, jewelry, and books. This avalanche of images distract us form her artistic production and turns her into a shallow entertaining image, and nothing more.
The controversy does not reside on recognizing her worth as an artist, but in making her into a myth as creator and woman. The real conflict doesn’t stem from her, but from her fans. Why? Her work is not the most relevant or representative of the Latin American arts.
Her visual production is relevant, of course, but it is not a turning point when referring to Mexican artistry. Her pieces are unique and worthy of study, and yet they are not a cultural standard upon which all other artists are to be measured against. Mexico is not limited to one artist or one kind of artistic production.
Frida Kahlo is overrated because of a worshiping audience that has a distorted approach to her legacy. An emotional and even critical approach to work has been lost because of idolatry. The followers are infatuated with her egocentric and non-monogamist relationship with Rivera, thus placing her as a walking scandal, rather than a professional painter.
The suffering she perfects in her paintings is considered to be the main subject, but it actually is a small fragment of all her other internal struggles. The focus is on her dramatic life, as if we were discussing the plot of a complex novel, rather than a painting experience. Her followers define themselves according to her life experiences. Her image has been transformed into a shallow character, in order to make it patriotic and sellable to the masses.
Her fans look up to her for the wrong reasons. They applaud her as a victim, instead for her creative mind. She is respected for painting while was lying in bed in pain, rather than the actual final product of her labor.
She paints herself as sorrowful subject, sometimes with tears or with eyes blazing in anger as she is surrounded by birds, monkeys, and dogs. The admirers neglect the full potential of the artist and other more nuanced emotions she tried to portray with every stroke of her paintbrush.
The art world values Frida’s artistic contributions because she is a woman. Kahlo’s fans treat her and her work as those of a contemporary painter, when she clearly does not conform to this time. Frida’s work has an element of performance that people appreciate, which is ironic considering they disdain contemporary performers.
Frida Kahlo is overrated as many other artists. They cannot escape from the admiration of the public and meanings conferred to them. There’s no reason why you should stop liking her, and this article is not an attack towards her work. It is simply a reminder to understand the real context behind her creations and experiences.
