EJEMPLO

 PRIMERA ENTRADA DE EJEMPLO

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón^[a] (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈfɾiða ˈkalo]; 6 July 1907 – 13 July 1954^[1]) was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society.^[2] Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist.^[3] She is also known for painting about her experience of chronic pain.^[4]

Born to a German father and a mestiza mother (of Purépecha^[5] descent), Kahlo spent most of her childhood and adult life at La Casa Azul, her family home in Coyoacán – now publicly accessible as the Frida Kahlo Museum. Although she was disabled by polio as a child, Kahlo had been a promising student headed for medical school until being injured in a bus accident at the age of 18, which caused her lifelong pain and medical problems. During her recovery, she returned to her childhood interest in art with the idea of becoming an artist.

Early career

Kahlo on 15 June 1919, aged 11

Kahlo enjoyed art from an early age, receiving drawing instruction from printmaker Fernando Fernández (who was her father's friend)^[8] and filling notebooks with sketches.^[9] In 1925, she began to work outside of school to help her family.^[10] After briefly working as a stenographer, she became a paid engraving apprentice for Fernández.^[11] He was impressed by her talent,^[12] although she did not consider art as a career at this time.^[9]

A severe bus accident at the age of 18 left Kahlo in lifelong pain. Confined to bed for three months following the accident, Kahlo began to paint.^[13] She started to consider a career as a medical illustrator, as well, which would combine her interests in science and art. Her mother provided her with a specially-made easel, which enabled her to paint in bed, and her father lent her some of his oil paints. She had a mirror placed above the easel, so that she could see herself.^[14][13] Painting became a way for Kahlo to explore questions of identity and existence.^[15] She explained, "I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject I know best."^[13] She later stated that the accident and the isolating recovery period made her desire "to begin again, painting things just as [she] saw them with [her] own eyes and nothing more."^[16]