FRIDA KAHLO

A plunge into Frida Kahlo’s trailblazing life as an artist.

A relentless, self-taught artist, Kahlo did not let her battle with polio and her bus accident keep her from painting. Instead, her father helped her paint from bed by building her an easel that allowed her to paint lying down. This entry in the Portrait of an Artist series focuses on Kahlo’s magical realism in her paintings, presenting her as the dreamer of “fantastical scenes.” Kahlo’s relationship with fellow artist Diego Rivera is touched upon. However, neither the relationship nor its turbulence is the main focus of the text, as Brownridge chooses to display Kahlo as an artist in her own right. In addition, the text contains information on the “firsts” that Kahlo achieved: the first exhibition in New York City by a Mexican and the first Mexican in a Louvre gallery. Dieckmann’s illustrations, made with both traditional and digital media, show the vibrancy of life with which Kahlo surrounded herself and often follow the color palette established in the painting shown on the page. In a similar way, Édith Carron uses bright colored pencils in Brownridge’s book about Dutch artist Vincent Van Gogh to complement his style. An invitation to visit Kahlo’s “bright blue house,” now a museum, leaves readers desirous to learn more.

A thoughtful and colorful biography of one of Mexico’s most prolific artists.