¡Viva el arte! paintings inspired by Frida Kahlo

- 28/06/2021

Inspiration from Frida Kahlo on contemporary art

Summer is back and it makes us want to sing... and getaway! That’s why we came up with the idea of a collection which highlights Latin America, and the icon, namely Frida Kahlo in particular. She is famous all around the globe, the Mexican artist is inspiring in more than one way: she is self-taught, has fought sickness through art, created several self-portraits to assert herself as a woman painter...To put it otherwise, we dedicate this collection ¡Viva el arte to her and to all of Latin America, who are alive, colorful and festive, and celebrate the sunny days and the coming holidays!

A CONTEMPORY ART COLLECTION INSPIRED BY FRIDA KAHLO

Latin America has had a very long history: before the arrival of Spanish and Portuguese settlers in the 15th century, many rich civilizations succeeded one after the other, ranging from the Olmecs to the Aztecs. A common point? Overflowing decoration, which can mainly be found in the work of the great Frida Kahlo and even today in contemporary art! The artists of our collection ¡Viva el arte! are part of this tradition.

Did you know? Latin America has always had a special relationship with death, which continues till date, through the famous Day of the Dead in Mexico. Nothing gruesome, rest assured, on the contrary: it is more about celebrating life, as this event is extremely festive! This is the reason why there are so many skulls in the work of Geiry, an artist based in the South of France, who is passionate about Mexico. She surrounds them with patterns of flowers, feathers, butterflies, adds a dash of her own personalized humor...while honoring life.

Medeya Lemdiya has a very different style: she devotes her painting to portraiture. Not just any portraiture, since she has chosen very famous personalities, these might be real or fictional, like Serge Gainsbourg, Robert de Niro or Batman. Frida Kahlo occupies a special place in her universe: she represents her from the front- like the Mexican artist – but while chewing gum and making a big bubble! Once again, there is room for humor!

Now it's time for artists from Latin America – since the range of Carré d’artistes extends all around the globe! The Mexican artist, Abril Espinoza always knew she wanted to be a painter and nowadays does several portraits. She paints faces which are young, beautiful and most of all, extremely colorful, the skin covered with touches of yellow, red, blue...The outcome? Their gaze, which is always directed towards us, is rather intense.

The universe of De Secondigné from Argentina, is much lighter. Angels with halos, the horses and circus scenes have rather soft shades: bluish green, light beige, creamy white... And at times, a bright red or an electric blue are depicted too. The paintings are filled with melancholy, the same one that captures us after a night of celebration.

UNDERSTAND FRIDA KAHLO'S ART IN ONE MINUTE

Recognizable at first glance, the work of Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) focuses on self-portrait. She represents the face from the front or three-quarters, gazing right into the eyes of the spectator. Her creations are surrounded by patterns, animals, greenery... At times, she divides into half, just like in the painting The Two Fridas; at times, she represents herself on complex backgrounds, just like through the representation of her family tree My grandparents, my parents and me.

She was extremely committed, to such an extent that she changed her date of birth (1907) to 1910, the beginning of the Mexican Revolution! She was also very sick from a very early age, due to a bus accident which occurred when she was 6. Her great love? A painter as well, Diego Rivera, with whom she experienced a passionate affair.
No luck in Europe as museums do not have any of her creations... Except Centre Pompidou in Paris! The Frame is tiny, measuring 28.5×20.7 cm oil on aluminum, and depicts the artist between two birds. It has been exhibited since 2020 in the museum's permanent collections, it is one of his most precious works! Definitely worth a trip now, isn’t it?

Read more articles about Frida Kahlo :

🎨 Frida Kahlo: artistic current and painting style
🎨 Top 10 things to know about the artist Frida Kahlo
🎨 Frida Kahlo's influence today
🎨 Discovering Frida Kahlo
🎨 The 5 most beautiful paintings of Frida Kahlo