In 1925, eighteen-year-old Frida Kahlo was a student in Mexico City with plans to study medicine. That changed on September 17, when the bus she was riding collided with an electric streetcar. The crash was catastrophic. An iron handrail pierced her body, leaving her with devastating injuries to her spine, pelvis, and leg. In a surreal twist, a house painter on the bus spilled a packet of gold powder, covering her bleeding frame. Witnesses reported seeing a strange, gilded figure at the scene of the accident. This moment ended her medical ambitions and set her on a completely different path. In her diary, she would later call this the first of two great accidents in her life.
Frida Kahlo: Paint, Pain, and Power
The life of Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, from the 1925 bus crash that left her bedridden to the self-portraits that made her world-famous.
Chapter 1
The Gilded Woman
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Frequently Asked Questions
What accident defined Frida Kahlo's life and art?
On September 17, 1925, an 18-year-old Kahlo was in a bus crash that caused severe, lifelong injuries, including a fractured spine and pelvis. Confined to her bed during recovery, she began painting the self-portraits that would make her famous, using a mirror her mother installed above her bed.
Who was Diego Rivera to Frida Kahlo?
Diego Rivera was a world-famous Mexican muralist and Kahlo's husband. Their relationship was famously passionate and tumultuous, including a divorce and remarriage. Despite their personal conflicts, he was a major supporter of her art and encouraged her to embrace traditional Mexican cultural styles.
Why did Frida Kahlo paint so many self-portraits?
Of her 143 paintings, 55 are self-portraits. She began painting them while bedridden after her accident, as she was the subject she knew best and was often alone during her long recovery. Kahlo herself explained her focus by stating, "I am the subject I know best," using her art to explore her own physical and emotional reality.
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