Frida Kahlo is everywhere. Or almost. You can find her artworks at museums across the US and Mexico, see her face on t-shirts, bags, and cups, and even see how she has inspired some of the most renowned fashion designers. But if you really want to challenge yourself to find the Mexican painter, you should try Laura Callaghan’s book Find Frida.
This seek-and-find book is similar to the very popular Where’s Waldo, and you’ll have to find Frida in 12 pictures that depict key moments from her life.
Laura Callaghan is an Irish illustrator based in London. She has participated in art shows and also worked with clients such as The Body Shop, Urban Decay, and MTV, among others, sharing her colorful images that depict powerful women in everyday situations.
(c) Laura Callaghan
In Find Frida, Callaghan tells the story of Frida’s life chronologically, starting with a scene in the Blue House, the place where Frida was born, lived and died, and where she developed most of her art. There you can find various characters, such as her father, photographer Guillermo Kahlo, Mexican Revolution leaders Emiliano Zapata and Pancho Villa, as well as Frida’s sisters, Margarita, Matilde, Adriana, and Cristina.
Then, there’s a crowded scene at the National Preparatory School, the place where Frida met Diego Rivera when he was painting a mural that started the Muralism movement in Mexico, and a friendship that turned into love for these two artists.
(c) Laura Callaghan
Frida and Diego’s wedding is next. Even though they got married twice, the 1929 wedding was really the most memorable one. The illustrator recreated the party, including an elephant and a dove, which is what Frida’s mother used to call this unusual couple.
(c) Laura Callaghan
Frida’s style is also part of the book, with a beautiful scene featuring many women dressed as “Tehuanas”, the women from the isthmus of Oaxaca. But in this scene, you can also find fashion designers who have been influenced by Frida, such as Jean Paul Gaultier and Dolce & Gabanna, or even former UK Prime Minister Theresa May wearing a bracelet with Frida Kahlo miniatures.
The moment when Frida went to New York is also depicted in the book, as well as the opening night for her art show in Paris. Those two moments were very important in Frida’s life and work, and there you can find some motifs related to the surreal movement that she always denied being a part of.
(c) Laura Callaghan
Other scenes in Callaghan’s book show Frida and Diego’s studio house in San Ángel, the Aztec influences in her work, and also how important her garden was for her. And it all ends in her final hospitalization, followed by a retrospective organized by her friend, photographer Lola Álvarez Bravo, and of course, last but not least, the amazing celebration of Day of the Dead that is so relevant to Mexican culture.
Read more:
12 Frida Kahlo Paintings You Can Find In US Museums
The Inspiring And Painful Life Of Frida Shows How Suffering Can Lead To Creation
