Leo Martínez
Frida Kahlo's self-portrait Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird was painted in 1940. It is one of her most famous works and has been exhibited worldwide. The painting is a testament to Kahlo's resilience, vulnerability, and profound artistic vision. It reflects the emotional anguish and chronic pain that Kahlo experienced in her life. The painting is also an example of Kahlo's use of powerful iconography from indigenous Mexican culture, situating herself in a tradition of rebellion against colonial forces and male rule.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Year Painted | 1940 |
| Painter | Frida Kahlo |
| Painter's Nationality | Mexican |
| Painter's Birth Year | 1907 |
| Painter's Death Year | 1954 |
| Painter's Active Years | 1925-1954 |
| Painter's Notable Identities | Self-taught artist, Collector, Teacher, Political activist |
| Painting Title | Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird |
| Painting Size | 24" x 18" |
| Painting Medium | Oil on canvas mounted to board |
| Painting Genre | Self-portrait |
| Painting Style | Realist |
| Painting Symbolism | Resilience, Vulnerability, Emotional struggle, Duality between pain and life force, Rebellion against colonial forces and male rule |
| Painting Details | Frida Kahlo with thorn necklace, dead hummingbird, black cat, monkey, dragonflies, butterfly clips, lush green foliage, tropical plants, Mexican hairstyle |
| Current Location | Harry Ransom Center, University of Texas at Austin |
| Previous Owners | Nickolas Muray (Photographer) |
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What You'll Learn
- Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird was painted in 1940
- The painting is a self-portrait, one of 55 out of her 143 paintings
- It is a small painting, approximately 24 x 18
- The painting symbolises Kahlo's resilience and vulnerability
- The painting was acquired by the University of Texas at Austin in 1966
Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird was painted in 1940
Kahlo's self-portrait is a small painting, measuring approximately 24" x 18". It depicts the artist in a frontal position, confronting the viewer's gaze directly. Her bold eyebrows and characteristic frown are emphasised, and her hair is tied up in a traditional Mexican hairstyle. The background features lush green foliage, adding depth and contrast to the composition and evoking Kahlo's Mexican heritage and her profound connection to nature.
At the centre of the painting, a vibrant hummingbird hovers near Kahlo's heart, with its wings outstretched. The hummingbird is a symbol of vitality and resilience, juxtaposed against the thorns around Kahlo's neck, suggesting a duality between pain and life force. The thorns pierce her neck, drawing blood, yet Kahlo's gaze remains unwavering and defiant. This juxtaposition of vulnerability and strength is characteristic of Kahlo's self-portraits.
The painting also includes a black cat, a monkey, and two dragonflies. The cat, traditionally linked to bad luck, peers up from the foliage with striking ice blue eyes. The monkey, a symbol of lust, plays with the thorn necklace, tugging at it hard enough to make Kahlo bleed. These animals, along with the insects and lush foliage, create the scene of a dense jungle, adding to the sense of suffocation and emotional anguish conveyed in the portrait.
Kahlo's self-portraits served as a window into her inner world, allowing viewers to witness her emotions and struggles. Through her paintings, she defied societal expectations and conveyed her truth, challenging traditional gender roles and cultural norms. Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird is a powerful example of Kahlo's determination to express herself authentically and has captivated viewers worldwide with its raw emotion, vivid symbolism, and masterful technique.
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The painting is a self-portrait, one of 55 out of her 143 paintings
Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird was painted in 1940. It is one of 55 self-portraits out of her 143 paintings. Kahlo began painting self-portraits after a bus accident in 1925 left her seriously injured and bedridden. She said, "I paint myself because I am so often alone, because I am the subject I know best".
Kahlo's self-portraits are interpreted as her attempt to establish her freedom and reclaim her body and narrative from the male gaze, particularly in the context of the male-dominated art world that often depicted the female form as an object of desire. By using her own image, Kahlo goes against contemporary ideals of gender conformity and archetypal beauty standards. The self-portrait genre allowed her to assert her agency as an artist and convey her own truth, often challenging traditional gender roles and cultural norms.
The painting depicts Kahlo in a frontal position, directly confronting the viewer's gaze with a lush, dense jungle background. Her bold eyebrows and characteristic frown are emphasised, with a thorn necklace around her throat, trailing down her chest like the roots of a tree. A small, dead black hummingbird with outstretched wings hangs like a pendant from her throat. The hummingbird is a symbol of vitality and resilience, juxtaposed with the thorns to suggest a duality between pain and life force. The background includes a black cat, a monkey, dragonflies, and butterfly clips in her hair.
The painting has been exhibited worldwide and is currently part of the Nickolas Muray Collection at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin. It has appeared in several exhibitions exploring Kahlo's place within 20th-century modernist movements, her intellectual circle, her interest in nature, and her collection of Mexican folk art.
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It is a small painting, approximately 24 x 18
Frida Kahlo's "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" is a small painting, measuring approximately 24 x 18 inches. It was completed in 1940 and acquired by the Harry Ransom Center in 1965 as part of a large collection of artworks assembled by photographer Nickolas Muray. The painting is an oil on canvas mounted to board and is currently part of the Nickolas Muray Collection of Mexican Art at the University of Texas at Austin.
The painting depicts Kahlo in a frontal position, directly confronting the viewer's gaze with a bold eyebrow and a characteristic frown. The background consists of lush green foliage, adding depth and contrast to the composition. The tropical plants and leaves evoke a sense of Kahlo's Mexican heritage and her profound connection to nature.
At the centre of the painting, a small black hummingbird with outstretched wings hangs like a pendant from her throat, appearing to be dead and stiff. The thorn necklace that strangles her neck trails down her chest, with a spider monkey sitting behind her right shoulder, playing with it. The monkey is often interpreted as a symbol of evil or lust, and the cat as a symbol of bad luck and death. The hummingbird is considered a symbol of vitality and resilience, creating a juxtaposition between pain and life force.
The inclusion of these animals and insects, along with the dense jungle setting, reflects Kahlo's interest in the natural world and her collection of Mexican folk art. The painting is a testament to Kahlo's resilience and artistic vision, serving as a timeless reminder of the power of art to transcend personal pain and resonate with universal human experiences.
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The painting symbolises Kahlo's resilience and vulnerability
Frida Kahlo's "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" was painted in 1940. The painting is a testament to Kahlo's resilience and vulnerability, with its juxtaposition of vulnerability and strength. The small painting (approximately 24" x 18") depicts Kahlo in a frontal position, directly confronting the viewer's gaze with a background of lush green foliage and a yellow leaf behind her.
The thorn necklace around her throat, with its piercing thorns drawing blood, symbolises the anguish and suffering she endured. The thorns also reference the Mexican tradition of using the thorned stem of a maguey plant in blood rituals to ensure a good harvest. Despite the pain inflicted by the thorns, Kahlo gazes at the viewer with an unwavering and defiant expression, conveying her resilience in the face of adversity.
The hummingbird, a symbol of vitality and resilience in Mexican folklore, represents Kahlo's unwavering spirit and her ability to find beauty and solace amidst hardship. The juxtaposition of the hummingbird with the thorns suggests a duality between pain and life force. The dead hummingbird, with its wings outstretched like a pendant, also contrasts with the lush, dense jungle setting, reflecting the struggle between life and death.
The surrounding insects and animals add depth to the painting's symbolism. The spider monkey, a gift from her ex-husband Diego Rivera, tugs at the thorn necklace, inflicting pain. The monkey is symbolic of evil, reflecting the pain and anguish Kahlo experienced in her personal life. The black cat, with its striking ice blue eyes, represents bad luck and death. Above her head, two dragonflies and two butterfly clips in her hair add a sense of movement and life to the composition.
Through this self-portrait, Kahlo expresses her emotions, struggles, and unique perspective, inviting viewers to reflect on their own experiences of pain and triumph. The painting symbolises her resilience in enduring and transcending suffering, as well as her vulnerability in exposing her pain so openly.
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The painting was acquired by the University of Texas at Austin in 1966
Frida Kahlo's "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" was acquired by the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin in 1966. The painting is part of the Nickolas Muray Collection of Mexican Art, which was assembled by photographer Nickolas Muray. Muray, a close friend of Kahlo, purchased the portrait shortly after it was completed in 1940. The collection was acquired by the Harry Ransom Center in 1965, a year before the University of Texas gained possession of the painting.
The University of Texas at Austin has since showcased the painting in several exhibitions worldwide. The painting was featured in the "Frida: Art, Garden, Life" exhibition at the New York Botanical Garden in 2015. From 2014 to 2015, it was exhibited at the Harry Ransom Center, and in 2012, it was part of the "In Wonderland: The Surrealist Activities of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States" exhibition at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.
The painting's acquisition by the University of Texas at Austin has contributed to the worldwide recognition of Frida Kahlo's work. The University's exhibitions have provided opportunities for a broader audience to engage with Kahlo's art and her unique perspective as an artist.
The painting itself is a powerful statement of Kahlo's resilience and artistic vision. Completed in 1940, the self-portrait reflects a tumultuous period in Kahlo's life, marked by her divorce from fellow artist Diego Rivera and the end of her affair with Nickolas Muray. The painting's symbolism, including the thorn necklace and the dead hummingbird, has been interpreted as a representation of Kahlo's emotional struggles and her defiance in the face of adversity.
The University of Texas at Austin's acquisition of "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" has not only added a significant work of art to its collection but has also contributed to the ongoing appreciation and understanding of Frida Kahlo's artistic legacy.
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Frequently asked questions
Frida Kahlo painted "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" in 1940.
The thorns in the necklace pierce Kahlo's neck, drawing blood, but her unwavering gaze remains fixed on the viewer. This juxtaposition of vulnerability and strength is characteristic of Kahlo's self-portraits. The thorn necklace has been interpreted as a symbol of the pain and emotional anguish Kahlo experienced in her life.
The hummingbird, a symbol of vitality and resilience, is juxtaposed against the thorns, suggesting a duality between pain and life force. The dead hummingbird, which appears to be stiff with outstretched wings, has been interpreted as a symbol of Kahlo's unwavering spirit and her ability to find beauty and solace amidst adversity.
