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Atlant Media
  • 5 days ago
Transcript
00:00Women who change the world.
00:30I drank to drown my sorrows, but the damn things learned how to swim.
00:37Frida Kahlo.
00:38Painter Frida Kahlo was a Mexican self-portrait artist who was married to Diego Rivera and
00:44is still admired as a feminist icon.
00:47Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón was born on the 6th of July 1907 in Coyacombe,
00:54a village on the outskirts of Mexico City.
00:56Kahlo stated that she was born at the family home, La Casa Azul, the Blue House, but according
01:03to the official birth registry, the birth took place at the nearby home of her maternal grandmother.
01:09Kahlo's parents were photographer Guillermo Kahlo and Matilda Calderón y González.
01:14Originally from Germany, Guillermo had immigrated to Mexico in 1891 after epilepsy caused by
01:21an accident ended his university studies.
01:24In addition to Kahlo, the marriage produced daughters Matilda, Adriana, and Christina.
01:30Around the age of six, Kahlo contracted polio, which caused her to be bedridden for nine months.
01:36While she recovered from the illness, she limped when she walked because the disease had damaged
01:41her right leg and foot.
01:43In 1922, Kahlo enrolled at the renowned National Preparatory School.
01:48She was one of the few female students to attend the school, and she became known for
01:52her jovial spirit and her love of traditional and colorful clothes and jewelry.
01:57While at school, Kahlo hung out with a group of politically and intellectually like-minded
02:02students.
02:03Becoming more politically active, Kahlo joined the Young Communist League and the Mexican Communist
02:08Party, Kahlo also received two commissions, including one from famed magazine editor Claire
02:14Booth Lucie, as a result of the show.
02:17In 1939, Kahlo went to live in Paris for a time.
02:21There, she exhibited some of her paintings and developed friendships with such artists as
02:26Marcel Duchamp and Pablo Picasso.
02:29Kahlo received a commission from the Mexican government for five portraits of important Mexican
02:34women in 1941.
02:36But she was unable to finish the project.
02:39She lost her beloved father that year and continued to suffer from chronic health problems.
02:44Despite her personal challenges, her work continued to grow in popularity and was included in numerous
02:50group shows around this time.
02:52In 1953, Kahlo received her first solo exhibition in Mexico.
02:58While bedridden at the time, Kahlo did not miss out on the exhibition's opening.
03:02Arriving by ambulance, Kahlo spent the evening talking and celebrating with the event's attendees
03:07from the comfort of a four-poster bed set up in the gallery just for her.
03:12After Kahlo's death, the feminist movement of the 1970s led to renewed interest in her life
03:18and work, as Kahlo was viewed by many as an icon of female creativity.
03:24About a week after her 47th birthday, Kahlo died on July 13, 1954, at her beloved Blue House.
03:31There has been some speculation regarding the nature of her death.
03:35It was reported to be caused by a pulmonary embolism, but there have also been stories about a possible suicide.
03:41Kahlo's health issues became nearly all-consuming in 1950.
03:45After being diagnosed with gangrene in her right foot, Kahlo spent nine months in the hospital
03:50and had several operations during this time.
03:53She continued to paint and support political causes, despite having limited mobility.
03:58In 1953, part of Kahlo's right leg was amputated to stop the spread of gangrene.
04:05Deeply depressed, Kahlo was hospitalized again in April 1954.
04:09She returned to the hospital two months later with bronchial pneumonia.
04:13No matter her physical condition, Kahlo did not let that stand in the way of her political activism.
04:19In the 1970s, the interest in her work and life were renewed due to the feminist movement,
04:24since she was viewed as an icon of female creativity.
04:28In 1983, Hayden Herrera published his book on her, a biography of Frida Kahlo,
04:34which drew more attention from the public to this great artist.
04:37In the year of 2002, a movie named Frida was released, starring Salma Hayek as Frida Kahlo
04:43and Alfred Molina as Diego Rivera.
04:46This movie was nominated for six Academy Awards and won for Best Makeup and Original Score.
04:56Women who changed the world.
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