Leo Martínez
Frida Kahlo's 1931 painting 'Frieda and Diego Rivera' is the only painting of her husband, Diego Rivera, and is widely considered to be a wedding portrait. The painting depicts the couple standing side by side, with Rivera holding a palette and paintbrushes. Kahlo's diary entries reveal her deep love for her husband, and her anguish over his affairs is also reflected in her 1949 painting 'Diego and I'.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name of Painting | Frieda and Diego Rivera |
| Year | 1931 |
| Artist | Frida Kahlo |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Dimensions | 39 3/8 x 31 in. (100.01 x 78.74 cm) |
| Description | Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera standing side-by-side, holding hands. Rivera is portrayed as a painter, holding a palette and brushes in his right hand, while Kahlo tilts her head towards him. |
| Interpretation | Depicts Kahlo as the wife of the great artist, Rivera. |
| Current Location | San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (SFMOMA), San Francisco, California |
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What You'll Learn
Frida Kahlo's painting 'Diego and I'
Frida Kahlo's painting "Diego and I" (1949) is a powerful and emotional self-portrait that offers insight into her complex and tumultuous relationship with her husband, Diego Rivera. The painting was created amid rumours that Rivera would soon leave her for a Hollywood starlet, adding a layer of anguish and vulnerability to the work.
In "Diego and I," Kahlo depicts herself in a traditional Mexican dress, surrounded by a web of fine, crack-like lines that give the impression of a shattered pane of glass. This surreal element symbolises the emotional trauma and inner turmoil Kahlo was experiencing at the time. The most striking feature of the painting is the miniature bust of Diego Rivera emblazoned on Kahlo's forehead, a recurring motif in folk art representing inner vision. This placement suggests that Rivera was constantly on her mind and a part of her identity. The trails of tears streaking down Kahlo's cheeks further emphasise the pain and emotional wound depicted in the self-portrait.
The painting "Diego and I" is one of several works by Kahlo that explore her relationship with Rivera. Their marriage was marked by passion, adoration, pain, and complexity. Kahlo frequently used her art as a means to map the undiscovered territories of their love and art, while Rivera less often captured her likeness in his work. One notable exception is his intimate etching, "Seated Nude with Raised Arms (Frida Kahlo)," created during their first year of marriage in 1930.
Another significant painting by Kahlo that explores their relationship is "Frida and Diego Rivera" (1931), a double portrait she painted two years after their first marriage in 1929. This portrait, with its crisscrossing stares and slowly unclasping hands, subtly hints at the tensions within their marriage. The ribbon held in the beak of a dove above the couple includes a message of love and devotion, yet the body language and positioning of the figures suggest a more complicated dynamic. Rivera's large figure faces away from Kahlo, and his gaze is averted, while her head tilts towards him, one hand clutching her stomach and the other gently placed on his hand.
Kahlo's self-portrait "Self-Portrait as Tehuana" (1943), often referred to as "Diego on My Mind," is another haunting portrayal of their relationship. Painted during the brief period between their two marriages, it captures the artist in traditional Mexican attire, with Rivera's image stamped on her forehead, reinforcing his constant presence in her thoughts.
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Her anguish over Diego Rivera's affair
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's relationship was tumultuous and passionate, marked by mutual admiration, creative influence, and extramarital affairs. One of the most well-known aspects of their marriage was Rivera's repeated infidelity, which caused Kahlo profound anguish. Rivera's affair with her sister Cristina, in particular, devastated Kahlo and led to a temporary separation in 1934. Despite this, they remarried a year later, with Kahlo commenting that she and Rivera "needed each other." Rivera's affairs continued, however, causing Kahlo further pain and inspiring some of her most powerful self-portraits.
One of the most famous paintings that reflect Kahlo's anguish over Rivera's infidelity is "The Two Fridas." In this powerful self-portrait, Kahlo depicts herself twice, with one Frida representing herself and the other representing the woman Rivera loved. The two Fridas are seated side by side, their hearts connected by blood-stained veins, reflecting the emotional pain and heartbreak she endured. The veins are cut, and blood flows from one Frida's heart, symbolizing the deep wound and hurt she felt due to Rivera's affairs.
Another powerful work that reflects Kahlo's anguish is "The Broken Column." In this self-portrait, Kahlo depicts herself naked, her body cracked like a broken column, and her face in anguish. Her body is pierced by nails and bound by ropes, reflecting her physical and emotional pain. This painting is believed to represent the immense emotional suffering she endured due to Rivera's affairs and the subsequent divorce they underwent in 1939.
Kahlo's pain and anger are also evident in her self-portrait "The Wounded Deer." In this painting, Kahlo portrays herself as a deer, a symbol of innocence and vulnerability, with arrows piercing its body. The deer lies in a forest, symbolizing loneliness and isolation, and its tears reflect Kahlo's emotional pain. This painting is thought to represent her feelings of vulnerability and hurt caused by Rivera's affairs, as well as her sense of helplessness and anguish.
Kahlo's anguish over Rivera's affairs also found expression in her diary entries. In one entry, she wrote, "I suffered two grave accidents in my life. One in which a streetcar knocked me down... The other accident is Diego." Here, Kahlo equates the physical pain she endured after a serious traffic accident with the emotional pain caused by Rivera's infidelity, reflecting the depth of her anguish.
In conclusion, Diego Rivera's extramarital affairs caused Frida Kahlo profound emotional anguish, which she channeled into her art. Through her self-portraits and diary entries, Kahlo provided a window into her inner world, reflecting her pain, vulnerability, and heartbreak. Despite their turbulent relationship, Kahlo and Rivera shared a deep bond, and their marriage, though marked by affairs, was also one of mutual inspiration and influence. Kahlo's ability to transform her anguish into powerful artistic statements is a testament to her strength and enduring legacy.
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Her diary entries about Rivera
Frida Kahlo's painting "Diego and I" from 1949 reveals the anguish she felt over her husband, Diego Rivera, whose affair with film star Maria Felix almost ended their marriage.
Kahlo's diary entries about Rivera reveal that he was constantly in her thoughts. In one entry, she writes: "DIEGO. I am alone." In another, she writes: "My Diego. I am no longer alone. You accompany me. You put me to sleep and you revive me." In a more romantic moment, she wrote: "Diego: Nothing is comparable to your hands and nothing is equal to the gold-green of your eyes."
Kahlo's diary entries also include drawings and paintings that reflect their relationship. In one entry, she drew two faces that look like vases, with one saying to the other: "Don't cry at me." The other answers: "Yes. I'll cry at you."
Kahlo's painting "Frida and Diego Rivera" from 1931 is widely considered a wedding portrait. The painting shows Kahlo standing next to her husband, with Rivera holding a palette and brushes in his right hand while Kahlo tilts her head towards him. In this painting, Kahlo adopted a stiff pose, influenced by 19th-century naive painters such as Jose Maria Estrada, who also influenced Rivera. The painting was created during an eighteen-month sojourn in San Francisco, where Rivera had received a commission to execute murals at the San Francisco Stock Exchange and the California School of Fine Arts.
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The painting 'Frida and Diego Rivera'
Frida Kahlo's 1931 oil-on-canvas painting, *Frieda and Diego Rivera*, is a portrait of the artist and her husband, Diego Rivera. The painting depicts the couple standing side by side, holding hands, with Diego on the left and Frida on the right. The work was commissioned by art collector and supporter of Rivera, Albert Bender, during the couple's eighteen-month sojourn in San Francisco.
Measuring a little over 3 feet high by 2 1/2 feet wide, the painting is vertically oriented. Diego Rivera's head and feet nearly touch the top and bottom edges of the canvas, as if he is too big to fit inside the picture. His legs resemble massive architectural columns, rooted to the ground by heavy work boots. Rivera wears a simple blue denim shirt and holds a fresh palette and four paintbrushes in his right hand. Frida, on the other hand, is depicted with her delicate hand resting on top of his, their fingers barely touching. She wears a green folk dress with a ruffle at the bottom, and her shoulders are wrapped in a bright red shawl with fringe. Her black hair is braided and wrapped on top of her head, and tiny, doll-like slippers peek out from below her skirt.
The painting includes a banner held by a dove or a golden bird with grey-tipped wings, which reads:
> "Here you see us, me Frieda/Frida Kahlo, with my beloved/adored/dearest husband Diego Rivera; I painted these portraits/pictures in the beautiful/lovely city of San Francisco, California, for our friend Mr. Albert Bender, and it was in the month of April in the year 1931."
The painting is currently held by SFMOMA and can be interpreted in various ways. Hayden Herrera, author of *Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo* (1983), interprets the work simply as Kahlo depicting herself as the wife of the great artist, Rivera. In contrast, Margaret Lindauer investigates the larger context in which the work was created, with the banner supporting her interpretation by placing Kahlo in the producer/professional artist role. The painting also indicates the power dynamic in their relationship, with Rivera looking colossal and solidly planted next to his wife, who barely touches the ground with her tiny feet. This dynamic is further emphasised by the difference in their footwear, with Rivera's boot-like shoes contrasting with Frida's diminutive slippers.
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The influence of Rivera on her work
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera's relationship was a tumultuous one, marked by extramarital affairs, messy fights, and a divorce in 1939, followed by a remarriage in 1940. Rivera was an important artist in the Mexican mural movement, and Kahlo met him when she joined the Mexican Communist Party in 1927. He encouraged her to continue painting, and they married in 1929.
Rivera's influence on Kahlo's work is evident in several ways. Firstly, their relationship became a significant source of inspiration for Kahlo's paintings. For example, her 1931 painting "Frida and Diego Rivera" is widely considered a wedding portrait, depicting Rivera as a painter with a palette and brushes, and Kahlo as his adoring wife. This painting, created two years after their marriage, reflects the ups and downs of their relationship, with Rivera's large figure facing away from his wife, suggesting his preoccupation with his art.
Kahlo's 1943 self-portrait, "Diego on My Mind," further illustrates Rivera's influence on her work. Rivera's image is stamped on her forehead, indicating that he was constantly on her mind and a central part of her life. This is reinforced by an entry in her diary, where she wrote, "Diego. I am alone... My Diego. I am no longer alone. You accompany me. You put me to sleep and you revive me."
The 1949 painting "Diego and I" also reveals Rivera's presence in Kahlo's thoughts and the distress caused by his affair with Maria Felix. In this painting, Kahlo's eyebrows serve as a platform, and a third eye opens in her spouse's brow, alluding to Rivera's mental and visual keenness.
Beyond the direct references to Rivera in her work, he also influenced Kahlo's artistic development. Their travels together in Mexico and the United States exposed her to different cultures and experiences, shaping her sense of Mexican identity and history. Additionally, Rivera's encouragement and support for her art, especially during her recovery from a bus accident, played a pivotal role in her artistic journey.
While Kahlo denied any connection, many also identified her work as influenced by Surrealism, a movement that gained recognition during her time with Rivera.
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Frequently asked questions
There is no painting of Frieda by Diego. However, there is a painting by Frieda of herself and Diego called 'Frieda and Diego Rivera'.
Frida Kahlo painted 'Frieda and Diego Rivera' in 1931.
The painting measures 39 3/8 x 31 inches (100.01 x 78.74 cm).
