The Broken Column

Last updated
The Broken Column
Spanish: La Columna Rota
The Broken Column.jpg
Artist Frida Kahlo
Year1944
Type Oil on masonite
Dimensions39.8 cm× 30.6 cm(15.7 in× 12.0 in)
Location Museo Dolores Olmedo, Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico

The Broken Column (La Columna Rota in Spanish) is an oil on masonite painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, painted in 1944 shortly after she had spinal surgery to correct on-going problems which had resulted from a serious traffic accident when she was 18 years old. The original is housed at the Museo Dolores Olmedo in Xochimilco, Mexico City, Mexico. [1]

Contents

As with many of her self-portraits, pain and suffering is the focus of the work, [2] though unlike many of her other works, which include parrots, dogs, monkeys and other people, [3] in this painting, Kahlo is alone. Her solitary presence on a cracked and barren landscape symbolizes both her isolation [2] and the external forces which have impacted her life. As an earthquake might fissure the landscape, Kahlo's accident broke her body. [4]

In the painting Kahlo's nude torso is split, replicating the ravine-laced earth behind her and revealing a crumbling, Ionic column in place of her spine. Her face looks forward, unflinchingly, though tears course down her cheeks. In spite of the brokenness of her internal body, her external sensuality is unmarred. The cloth which wraps the lower part of her body and is grasped in her hands, is not a sign of modesty [4] but instead mirrors the Christian iconography of Christ's sheet, as do the nails which are piercing her face and body. [5] The nails continue down only her right leg which was left shorter and weaker from contracting polio as a young child.

The metal corset, which depicts a polio support, rather than a surgical support, [6] may refer to her history of polio [3] or symbolize the physical and social restrictions of Kahlo's life. [4] By 1944, Kahlo's doctors had recommended that she wear a steel corset instead of the plaster casts she had worn previously. The brace depicted is one of many that Frida actually used throughout her life time and is now housed in her home and museum, Casa Azul. [7] In The Broken Column this corset holds together Kahlo's damaged body. [5] [8] [9]

Kahlo as a martyr

Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, by Il Sodoma, c. 1525 Sodoma 003.jpg
Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian, by Il Sodoma, c. 1525

One can draw a parallel from Kahlo’s portrayal of herself to that of the “Martyrdom of Saint Sebastian.” [10] In Sebastian's legend, he was discovered to be a Christian and tied to a tree and used as an archery target. Despite being left for dead he survives, only to later perish for his religion by the hands of the Imperial Roman. He is often portrayed tied to a tree, body littered with arrows. The American poet Bruce Bond writes, “pain is an arrow that pins a body to the bone” in a 2013 poem named after the Saint. [11] Frida aligns herself with the martyr visually, and being raised in a Catholic home she would have been familiar with the patron saint of soldiers.

Desmond O’Neill, a physician writing for the British Medical Journal , describes Frida’s work as a vital tool in the understanding of pain in patients. The doctor commends Frida’s ability to portray the intangible feeling of chronic pain. In this way she becomes a martyr for those plagued by chronic pain. In her willingness to bare her soul to the viewer allows for a greater understanding of what it means to live with constant and intense pain. Though pain is all around us we lack the ability to “grasp or express it,” Frida Kahlo is the exception to the problem of portraying pain. [10]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frida Kahlo</span> Mexican painter (1907–1954)

Magdalena Carmen Frida Kahlo y Calderón was a Mexican painter known for her many portraits, self-portraits, and works inspired by the nature and artifacts of Mexico. Inspired by the country's popular culture, she employed a naïve folk art style to explore questions of identity, postcolonialism, gender, class, and race in Mexican society. Her paintings often had strong autobiographical elements and mixed realism with fantasy. In addition to belonging to the post-revolutionary Mexicayotl movement, which sought to define a Mexican identity, Kahlo has been described as a surrealist or magical realist. She is also known for painting about her experience of chronic pain.

<i>Frida</i> (film) 2002 film directed by Julie Taymor

Frida is a 2002 American biographical drama film directed by Julie Taymor which depicts the professional and private life of the surrealist Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lola Álvarez Bravo</span> Mexican photographer (1903–1993)

Lola Álvarez Bravo was the first Mexican female photographer and a key figure in the post-revolution Mexican renaissance. Known for her high level of skill in composition, her works were seen by her peers as fine art. She was recognized in 1964 with the Premio José Clemente Orozco, by the State of Jalisco, for her contributions to photography and her efforts to preserve the culture of Mexico. Her works are included in the permanent collections of international museums, including the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guadalupe Marín</span> Mexican model and novelist

Guadalupe "Lupe" Marín, born María Guadalupe Marín Preciado, was a Mexican model and novelist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metal corset</span> Type of corset or bodice

Metal corsets are a type of historical corset or bodice made entirely out of metal, usually iron or steel. The metal corset was popularly claimed to have been introduced to France by Catherine de' Medici in the 16th century, although this is now considered a myth. The idea that such garments were worn for fashionable purposes is debatable, with fashion historians now regarding such claims sceptically. Many of the original metal bodices that have survived are now believed to have been intended for medical purposes as orthopaedic support garments and back braces. Such garments were described by the French army surgeon Ambroise Paré in the 16th century as a remedy for the "crookednesse of the Bodie."

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dorothy Hale</span> American socialite (1905–1938)

Dorothy Hale was an American socialite and aspiring actress who died by jumping off a building in New York City. Her husband's death, followed by several unsuccessful relationships, had left her financially dependent on her wealthy friends. The artist Frida Kahlo created a famous painting commissioned by Clare Boothe Luce, titled The Suicide of Dorothy Hale.

Fanny Rabel, born Fanny Rabinovich, was a Polish-born Mexican artist who is considered to be the first modern female muralist and one of the youngest associated with the Mexican muralism of the early to mid 20th century. She and her family arrived to Mexico in 1938 from Europe and she studied art at the Escuela Nacional de Pintura, Escultura y Grabado "La Esmeralda", where she met and became friends with Frida Kahlo. She became the only female member of “Los Fridos” a group of students under Kahlo’s tutelage. She also worked as an assistant and apprentice to Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros, painting a number of murals of her own during her career. The most significant of these is "Ronda en el tiempo" at the Museo Nacional de Antropología in Mexico City. She also created canvases and other works, with children often featured in her work, and was one of the first of her generation to work with ecological themes in a series of works begun in 1979.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Alice Rahon</span> French painter and writer (1904–1987)

Alice Phillipot (Alice Rahon) (8 June 1904 – September 1987) was a French/Mexican poet and artist whose work contributed to the beginning of abstract expression in Mexico. She began as a surrealist poet in Europe but began painting in Mexico. She was a prolific artist from the late 1940s to the 1960s, exhibiting frequently in Mexico and the United States, with a wide circle of friends in these two countries. Her work remained tied to surrealism but was also innovative, including abstract elements and the use of techniques such as sgraffito and the use of sand for texture. She became isolated in her later life due to health issues.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frida Kahlo Museum</span> Art museum in Mexico City

The Frida Kahlo Museum, also known as the Blue House for the structure's cobalt-blue walls, is a historic house museum and art museum dedicated to the life and work of Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. It is located in the Colonia del Carmen neighborhood of Coyoacán in Mexico City. The building was Kahlo's birthplace, the home where she grew up, lived with her husband Diego Rivera for a number of years, and where she later died in a room on the upper floor. In 1957, Diego Rivera donated the home and its contents in order to turn it into a museum in Frida's honor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rina Lazo</span> Guatemalan-Mexican artist (1923-2019)

Rina Lazo Wasem was a Guatemalan-Mexican painter. She began her career in mural painting with Diego Rivera as his assistant. She worked with him from 1947 until his death in 1957 on projects both in Mexico and Guatemala. Thereafter, she remained an active painter, better known for her mural works than canvases, although the latter have been exhibited in Mexico and other countries. This has made her one of Guatemala's best-known artists. She was a member of the Mexican muralism movement and criticized modern artists as too commercial and not committed to social causes. She believed muralism would revive in Mexico because of its historical value.

<i>The Two Fridas</i> Painting by Frida Kahlo

The Two Fridas is an oil painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. The painting was the first large-scale work done by Kahlo and is considered one of her most notable paintings. It is a double self-portrait, depicting two versions of Kahlo seated together. One is wearing a white European-style Victorian dress while the other is wearing a traditional Tehuana dress. The painting is housed at the Museo de Arte Moderno in Mexico City.

<i>What the Water Gave Me</i> (painting) Painting by Frida Kahlo

What the Water Gave Me is an oil painting by Frida Kahlo that was completed in 1938. It is sometimes referred to as What I Saw in the Water.

<i>Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird</i> Painting by Frida Kahlo

Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird is a 1940 self-portrait by Mexican painter Frida Kahlo which also includes a black cat, a monkey, and two dragonflies. It was painted after Kahlo's divorce from Diego Rivera and the end of her affair with photographer Nickolas Muray.

<i>The Wounded Deer</i> Painting by Frida Kahlo

The Wounded Deer is an oil painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo created in 1946. It is also known as The Little Deer. Through The Wounded Deer, Kahlo shares her enduring physical and emotional suffering with her audience, as she did throughout her creative oeuvre. This painting in particular was created towards the end of Kahlo's life, when her health was in decline. Kahlo combines pre-Columbian, Buddhist, and Christian symbols to express her wide spectrum of influences and beliefs.

<i>The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, Diego, and Señor Xolotl</i> Painting by Frida Kahlo

The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Myself, Diego, and Señor Xolotl is a 1949 painting by Frida Kahlo. Created in Mexico, the 70 cm x 60.5 cm painting was painted with oil on Masonite. It was featured on the reverse of the Series F $500 peso banknote, issued in 2010.

Cristina Kahlo y Calderón (1908–1964) was the sister of artist Frida Kahlo. Frida painted a portrait of Cristina, titled Portrait of Cristina, My Sister, and Diego Rivera, Frida's husband, also portrayed Cristina Kahlo in his work. Cristina, with whom Rivera had an affair, was painted by Rivera in the nude.

<i>Memory, the Heart</i> 1937 painting by Frida Kahlo

Memory, the Heart, a 1937 painting by Frida Kahlo, depicts the pain and anguish Kahlo experienced during and after an affair between her husband, artist Diego Rivera, and her sister, Cristina Kahlo.

Broken Wings is a one-act ballet about Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, choreographed by Annabelle Lopez Ochoa, dramaturged by Nancy Meckler and designed by Dieuweke van Reij. The music was composed by Peter Salem, and featured Mexican folk song "La Llorona" sung by Chavela Vargas. The ballet premiered on 13 April 2016 at the Sadler's Wells Theatre, danced by the English National Ballet, with Tamara Rojo as Kahlo and Irek Mukhamedov as Kahlo's husband, Diego Rivera. Lopez Ochoa then created a three-act version titled Frida for the Dutch National Ballet, premiered in 2020.

The Rivals is a 1931 oil-on-canvas painting by the Mexican artist Diego Rivera (1886–1957). It was commissioned by Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, the leading personage behind the inception of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. Rivera created the work while on the ship SS Moro en route from Mexico to New York City. The picture portrays "Las Velas", a festival held in the Mexican state of Oaxaca, a fete in honor of local patron saints and of the abundance of spring.

<i>Henry Ford Hospital</i> (painting) 1932 artwork by Frida Kahlo

Henry Ford Hospital is a 1932 oil-on-metal painting by Frida Kahlo about her experience of delivering a dead male fetus on 4 July at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, United States, when she was approximately 312 months pregnant. Depictions of childbirth, abortion, or miscarriage are rare in the canon of Western painting, and Kahlo is "one of the only major artists to directly communicate her reproductive grief through visual art." The "bloody and terrifying" painting opened a defining and influential era of Kahlo's career. The painting's first title was The Lost Desire. An alternate title is The Flying Bed.

References

  1. Stavans, Ilan. "Art: The Broken Column". Annenberg Learner. St. Louis, Missouri: Annenberg Foundation. Retrieved 15 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 Finger et al. 2013, p. 246.
  3. 1 2 Griffiths, Jay (26 March 2014). "Frida Kahlo: a life of hope and defiance". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  4. 1 2 3 Lindauer 2011, p. 68.
  5. 1 2 Kettenmann 2000, p. 67.
  6. Collins, Amy Fine (3 September 2013). "Diary Of A Mad Artist". New York City, New York: Vanity Fair. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  7. Kardos, "Casa Azul," A City A Month.
  8. Staff writer. "Frida Kahlo: Room Guide: Room 11: Achieving Equilibrium". Tate Modern. Tate Modern. Retrieved 1 October 2015.
  9. Grosenick, Uta, ed. (2001). Women artists in the 20th and 21st century. Köln: Taschen. p. 252. ISBN   9783822858547.
  10. 1 2 O’Neill, The Broken Column, 1031.
  11. Bond, "Saint Sebastian," 679.

Sources