More than what meets the eye: Frida Kahlo and surrealism
$4.95
arts and art history
presentation
published 28/11/2008
review : Completed
level : General public
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Frida Kahlo never thought of herself as a surrealist as many people did. In fact, given the context of the historical background of her works, she was regarded as more of a feminist cult figure than anything else. Not even Kahlo herself recognized the surrealist dimensions of her paintings until Andre Breton, acclaimed critic of surrealist art, classified her work as such. Andre Bretons essay on Fridas development of surrealism in her art focuses primarily upon Bretons opinion that she had no idea of what type of art she was creating. This stems from the suggestion from Kahlos artwork that she put more emphasis upon the thought process of her view on the world, rather than on the actualization of certain objects into her art work. The essay thus encourages the interpretation of Frida Kahlos work as the portrayal of perspective, and this inclination coincides with Frida Kahlos intent in creating art. Based upon the contextual background of the essay and the framing of the piece What Water Yields Me within the essay, this exact interaction with the thought process of the piece of art, defined by the essential doctrine of surrealism, is encouraged. However, it must be noted that the essay does not provide a sufficient insight for a complete analysis of Frida Kahlos paintings, most notably in My Birth.
Table of Contents
- Introduction.
- The historical sequence of the time period.
- Surrealism.
- The idea of perception over the obvious recognition of certain objects being portrayed.
- The analysis of Kahlo's art.
- Effect on the modern viewer's analysis.
- Andre Breton's Surrealism and Painting.
- The artists that Breton examines in Surrealism and Painting.
- The context of Breton's style.
- The effect of the surrealist movement on Frida Kahlo's works.
- An extensive knowledge of the development of surrealism in relation to its application.
- Conclusion.
