She is the woman with flowers in her hair, colorful clothes, and prominent eyebrows. She is the woman who eased her exhausted mind and aching body with art. She is the woman who felt too much and had the strength to bear 32 surgeries. We speak of course of Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón: Frida Kahlo.
Today, this self-taught Mexican painter represents empowerment and freedom. She is the embodiment of intelligence and passion, an ardent feminist who was proud to be Mexican all her life.
Lauded as one of the greatest painters of her time, her art and work has captured the imagination of the international art world. Here are some of her most celebrated phrases that were discovered among her belongings, from notes and drawings to personal correspondence.
Picture by Nicholas Muray
“Feet, what do I need them for? If I have wings to fly.”
“If I could give you one thing in life, I would give you the ability to see yourself through my eyes, only then would you realize how special you are to me.”
“Some people are born with a star, and others are star-crossed. Believe it or not, I’m one of the latter.”
“Mexico is as always chaotic and beat up, what remains are its beautiful landscapes and indigenous people.”
“Where you can’t love, don’t dawdle.”
“Can one invent verbs? I want to tell you one: I sky you, so my wings extend so wide so they can love you without measure.”
“I tried to drown my sorrows, but the bastards learned how to swim.”
“Even though I have said, “I like you” to many, had dates, and kissed plenty, at the end I’ve only loved you.”
Picture by Nicholas Muray
“You well know that the sexual attractiveness of women fades quickly, and the only thing they have left is their minds to defend themselves against this fucking life.”
“Don’t lock yourself up with your own suffering, or it may devour you from the inside.”
“As always when we are apart, I carry your world and life inside of me, and from that I will never recover.”
“They might hope to hear my laments and how much I suffered by living with a man like Diego, but I don’t think the banks of a river suffer because they let the river flow.”
“Doctor, if you let me drink this tequila, I promise not to drink in my funeral.”
“I feel that we have been together from our place of origin, that we are of the same matter, of the same waves, that we carry the same sense inside.”
“The only thing good about me is that I’m beginning to get used to suffering.”
“Who would say that stains live and help one to live? Ink, blood, and odor. I don’t know what ink would he use so eager to leave his mark in such a way. I respect his entreaty, and I’ll do what I can to escape from my world.”
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“Never in this life I will forget your presence; you found me torn apart, and you took me back full and complete.”
“I’d like to give you everything you never had, but not even then would you know how beautiful is it to love you.”
“I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.”
“I feel that I have loved you always, since before you were born, before you were conceived. Sometimes I feel that you gave birth to myself.”
“Tree of hope, stay firm.”
“Pain is not part of life, but it can become life itself.”
“Viva la vida.”
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