Frida Kahlo, born in Coyoacán in 1907, was and is considered today one of Mexico's most notable painters. His work can only be described as powerful and expressive. She lived a life full of pain and found herself reborn through art, which became both her escape and her reality. An outspoken Marxist and supporter of Stalin, her political views are reflected in many of her paintings. To look at the art of Frida Kahlo is to immerse yourself in a tumultuous and yet strangely beautiful intoxication of emotions; Looking at his art is putting yourself in the artist's place and experiencing his life, his struggles and his ideas. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay Born to a German father and a Mexican mother, Frida Kahlo grew up in the “Blue House” with her parents and his sisters. At the age of 6, she contracted polio, which kept her from school for several months. Due to his illness, his right leg was deformed, making him a target for bullies at school. Her father encouraged her to play sports to help her overcome this disability, and Frida began wrestling, boxing, and swimming, among other activities. These were all very unusual activities for girls at the time, showing how differently she was raised early on, which would contribute to many of her feminist traits as she grew up. She attended the National Preparatory School, where she was one of the very first students. It was also where she first saw who her future husband would be, the muralist Diego Rivera. In 1925, she suffered an accident that would change her life forever. Pinned by a steel handrail after the bus she was on collided with a tram, she suffered several injuries, including a broken pelvis, ribs and collarbone. She had to spend several weeks in the hospital, then stay in bed at home for several months to recover from her near-fatal injuries. It was at this time that she began painting and produced her first self-portrait. After her recovery, she rejoined her group of friends, who became politically active, and then joined the Mexican Communist Party herself. Frida's political affiliation and health issues shaped much of her art, which is why her life cannot be ignored when looking at her paintings. His essence is in each of his paintings; his personality, beliefs and feelings shine through. In 1929 she married the artist Diego Rivera, with whom she traveled to different parts of the United States, where her husband received an order. Later, a communist in exile and one of the leaders of the Russian revolution, Leon Trotsky found asylum in the Blue House. Frida and Diego sided with him in his anti-Stalinist campaigns. In one of her letters, Frida states that she is "more and more convinced that it is only through communism that we can become human." Being such an independent person, it can be difficult to understand why she would be such a strong supporter of communism, since communism can seem to strip people of their individuality, forcing everyone to live the same way. However, Frida criticized capitalism because of its impersonal way of shaping society, its gray and cold buildings and factories, and the injustice with which the lower classes were treated. In the 1930s, a wave of anticommunism resulted in a campaign of hatred against intellectuals and artists, forcing many to leave Mexico. Frida and Diego fly to the United States, where theylived for a few years, mainly hanging out with other artists. After the end of World War II, many intellectuals felt that the creation of socialist states in Eastern Europe made Stalin's crimes a problem of the past. After Trotsky's assassination, Frida joined what were called "peace movements" at the time, but were in reality events of Stalin supporters. Not only was she interested in the revolution, but Frida was also very patriotic and took pride in her style of dress and Mexican painting. She was very concerned about Mexican political issues and created several paintings depicting this. In her painting “Self-Portrait on the Border between Mexico and the United States,” Frida places herself between the industrialized United States and pre-industrial Mexico. This is an obvious criticism of capitalism and the new use of machines replacing nature. On the Mexican side, one can also see a skull and a temple, with a bloody sun in the sky, representing the hard work of the indigenous people to build and preserve their culture. Many argue that the painting “My Dress Hangs There” is a very blatant attack on American capitalism by depicting Manhattan as a gray and gloomy place, with her dress hanging on the toilet and a sports trophy. At the bottom left of the painting, flames can be seen emerging from a building and a congregation of people in front of it. This most likely represents his Marxist ideals and his concern for the fair treatment of workers. In her later years, she painted "Marxism Will Give Health to the Sick", where she stands with a red book of Marxism, the background divided between good and evil. When asked about this painting, she replied "for the first time, I don't cry anymore", alluding to the power of her political views on her emotional health. The symbols on her paintings give us insight into the society she lived in, and what it was like to live in her world and reality. Frida Kahlo is considered a feminist, progressive symbol and ahead of her time. She fearlessly painted herself and her struggles as a woman, unashamedly showing her sexual side, but also desexualizing herself in paintings of pain where she appears naked. Her naked body is not the centerpiece of these paintings, but the symbols surrounding her, and often her pain, are what really give them meaning. In her painting “What Water Gave Me,” Frida is shown taking a bath, with only her feet visible, one of them deformed. There are many symbols representing his struggles at the time; his naked corpse sinks next to his parents. Two women, one white, one beige, float on a sponge to the right, showing her mixed heritage. All the different elements of this table demonstrate a pessimistic vision of Mexican and American society. A burning building and a drowning Frida serve as a metaphor for the impact of colonization and foreign domination. Colonialism harmed the Mexican people, and centuries later the United States took almost half of Mexico's territory, leaving their people in poverty. Frida Kahlo's life was full of illness, pain and despair. This can be seen very clearly in his works. Not only was her foot deformed and her entire body in constant pain, but she also suffered several miscarriages and much heartbreak due to her husband's infidelities. After a separation from Diego Rivera, she painted “The Two Fridas,” where she is divided into two versions of herself, connected by heart vessels. In his hands rests a medallion with a photo of Diego, representing his suffering and sadness, and representing the.