Despite a life that was plagued by both physical and emotional pain, Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is one of the most celebrated artists of the 20^th Century. The amazing woman is one of my favorite feminist icons and even mentors.

Frida had a childhood that likely influenced the type of woman she would become. She had a unique lineage, her mother was mostly Indigenous and her father German. It was a genealogical history that Frida celebrated and often highlighted in her paintings. She was born to a family of all girls, though remained close to her father, who aggressively encouraged Frida to follow her heart. Her parents enrolled her in an elite private school where she was one of only 35 girls. It was on her way home from this school that Frida was involved in the traffic accident that would affect the rest of her life.

Frida accomplished everything with disabilities and illness that cursed her entire life. While most people know about the train accident that resulted in over 35 surgeries and a lifetime of severe pain, Frida’s physical challenges actually started at age 6 when a polio infection left her right leg smaller than the left. It is also believed that she contracted spina bhifida as a child. [Read more...]