Frida Kahlo at the Scuderia del Quirinale, Roma

I visted this exhibition in Rome bacause I had researched Frida Kahlo for my previous research point on self portraiture as self potrtaits were a large part of Kahlo's Oeuvre. She made a motif of her face which is immediately recognisable with its monobrow and moustache. I bought and annotated some postcards of the works I had seen at the exhibition. Frida was heavily influenced by european surrealists as well as being interested in aspects of Mexican and pre-colombian culture and the postion of women in mexican society.

Many of her works are colourful and bold and there is always underlying symbolism in the lements she introduces into her composistions. However, one of my favourite works in the exhibition was one of the less ostentacious and less well known self portraits " Self Portrait with Necklace" 1933. Frida's face is as it always is with her signature facial hair. However, the colours in this are muted. This  work has a quiet intesity about it. Her gaze is piercing and very serious. There is symbolism to the use of the necklace made from pre-colombian beads which expresses a link to her ancestors. 

I made notes on a number of the other paintings in my A3 Sketchbook. There are some quite challenging works in the exhibition including an extching entitled Frida and the abortion.  

I was surprised to find that some of the most overtly sexual paintings she did were in fact her still lives. Many of them include phallic shaped fruit and vegetables and fruits opened to reveal their fleshy parts. One example of this is "The bride who is afraid at seeing life opened" - there is clear sexual innuendo here. There is the hairiness of the coconut and the phallic bananas. The watermelon and the papaya are split open to reveal their juicy interior parts. A small doll wearing a bridal gown peeks out from behind the watermelon afraid of losing her virginity. I'm not sure what the significance of the owl is - perhaps he signifies wisdom and is there to guide her. However, often in Kahlo's paintings the animals  have different significances derived from ancient Mexican and pre-Colombian traditions and  deities.