Small Outing - DMA and Manhattan Project

 Cabin fever may have set in a bit so we are going out wandering.  It's still dang cold out, so somewhere inside is the plan.  There is a Frida Khalo exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art - that seems warm and interesting all at once.

So - here's a little background - Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderon was born on July 6, 1907, in Coyoacan, Mexico, the third of four daughters, to Matilde Calderon and Guillermo Kahlo, a German emigre and professional photographer.  At an early age, she contracted polio, which permanently impaired movement in her right leg.  Although her father encouraged her interest in art and art history, her ambition was to study medicine.  Those plans were sidelined when, at the age of 19, the bus she was riding in collided with a street tram.  Kahlo was impaled by a railing that caused extensive injuries.  During her long convalescence, painting became a solace and a passion, and art gave her a meaningful path forward.

I'll be honest - much of her work is not my cup of tea but I can still appreciate beauty.  This exhibit was more about her than her art and focused on the many photographs of her and self portraits as well.  This photo - to the left - is perhaps my favorite of her.  She is not so hard in it.  It was taken by Nicholas Murray in 1939.

One of her still life paintings did call me over for a closer look.  This is Magnolias and was done in 1945,

Frida has so many health issues and surgeries leading up to this time.  From 1949-1954 there was another spinal surgery and she was hospitalized for nine months, relying on a wheelchair for mobility.  She spent increasing time in bed - either in the hospital or at home.  Still lifes became an effective vehicle of expression, and they account for over half of her artistic production during this period.  The artist appreciated that she didn't have to worry about her appearance when painting still lifes, so her imagination could lead the way.  Still lifes also permitted her to express her growing anxiety in a symbolic, more secretive manner that allowed potential buyers to view them simply as pleasing compositions.  

This is a photograph of Frida painting in bed and working on a still life.

Here is the finished painting - Still Life (Living Nature) 1952.  Kahlo rejected the traditional concept of the "still life" as a composition of dead, lifeless objects.  Rather, she saw these subjects as being fully alive, as the title of this radiant work implies.  Set in a landscape, the arrangement is backed by a sky that reflects the dualities of the universe - night versus day, moon versus sun - and the passage of time.  A white dove (which some have interpreted as Kahlo's spirit) rests at the top, seemingly about to take flight.  Meanwhile, along the base, the title spreads its roots, as if affirming Kahlo's desire to hold onto life.

In 1953 Kahlo had a triumphant first solo show in Mexico, but was forced to attend the opening lying in a bed.  Months later, it became necessary to amputate her right leg.  Her last public appearance was at a protest demonstration in early July, 11 days before she died on July 13, 1954.

This was a great exhibit and I'm so glad we spent time reading as much as we could - the place was PACKED as it was a free day for the exhibit.  We didn't know that when we went, but it didn't stop us from gradually making our way through the wonders of her life.

Next up - a stop at Manhattan Project for a beer and some crazy, good chicken.  No pics of the chicken so you'll just have to trust me and somehow we wound up with extra mis-pours.  When we went home - we watched Frida on Netflix.  Now I have so many more questions as the two didn't always  match up.  Oh well.