Roots, 1943 by Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo was a remarkable woman. She took her adversity and turned it into art. Although they tried to label her a Surrealist, she refused to be labeled. Her remarks were that she paints her reality not dreams. As a Mexican artist, Kahlo painted herself in traditional Tehuana clothing. Self-portraits became her signature. She didn't hold back on the vulnerabilities she experienced. "Roots" was painted after she remarried her husband. The painting below is from her divorce. Her locks of hair are strewn about and a pair of scissors in her right hand, and a braid in the other. The other braid beneath her yellow chair she sits upon. The words to a song written above. She is wearing her ex-husband's clothes to make an even loader statement of her broken heart.
It was really hard to choose 2 of Kahlo's works. She embraced all the life experiences she was facing. Being a woman during the Early Modern times had its own set of challenges. Having deformities from childhood diseases, before there were vaccinations for polio. She also had other physical effects from her accident when was bedridden. All these challenges led her to create portraits of herself and an outlet for the emotions she was feeling.
Having a creative outlet is so important. Processing emotions can get overwhelming. Painting allows the mind to speak when the words won't always form. I like the strength she shows in her "Roots" portrait. From all her pain, she birthed a new creation. She is reclined in the nirvana position like Shakyamuni Buddha before he passed. Both these paintings reveal deeper truths and expose them for the reality as it is for her. She gives us portraits of the pains of a female during modernization. She wanted peace for her people as well.
Can you relate to these paintings? It would be neat to go to The Frida Kahlo Museum. They turned her old studio in Mexico City into a museum for her artwork. These bold statements that Kahlo created still tell a story today. I would probably not have a copy of "Cropped Hair". The story behind it, is empowering. When you love someone, there are sacrifices. Painting her hair being cut off allowed her to move through the hurt. Divorce was still frowned upon and Kahlo was not afraid to embrace the hard stuff. I would probably have a copy of "Roots" Here she shows us that she made it to the other side, and made beauty from heartache. Her relationship with her husband was tumultuous, and her paintings reflected so. Why not add some color to the mix, with some independence.
Self Portrait with Cropped Hair - by Frida Kahlo 1940
Ladder to the Moon, 1958 by Georgia O'Keeffe
O'Keeffe says, "The images are all of transition: the ladder itself implies passage from one level to another; the moon is cut neatly in half by the bold slicing light, halfway between full and new; and the evening sky is in flux, still pale along the line of the horizon, shading into deep azure night at the top of the canvas. ” She started out with abstract flowers and then later skulls from the bones she collected from around her ranch in New Mexico. There weren't any flowers so she added them. These later paintings are from her landscape collections. She was mesmerized by the shimmers in the clouds when she was flying in a plane. The colors of the landscapes are captured in that mesmerized gaze O'Keeffe saw through her eyes.
The abstract clouds are perfect. instead of trying to get them just right she puts them into a pattern and adds abstract sha to them. This gives the horizon the spotlight. "The Ladder to the Moon" isn't abstract, it's more of a landscape painting. Why is the ladder suspended in the sky? It definitely makes an impression on me. I would definitely enjoy a copy of each in my home. They give a daydreamy experience and you can let your mind drift away while contemplating whichever transition you are in life. O'Keeffee definetly painted her own way and didn't allow critics to sexualize her paintings of flowers. She lived to be 98 years old, with thousands of artworks.
Sky Above Clouds IV, 1965 by Georgia O'Keeffe
Claire Zeisler 1970s
Claire Zeisler and many other female fiber artists trailblazed a new avenue for the arts and craft world, by taking the craft off the loom and creating sculptures of threads. Zeisler was born in 1903 and studied at Columbia College in Ohio. When her children were older she returned to her studies at the Chicago Institute of Design, formerly known as the New Bauhaus, along with the Illinois Institute of Technology. She studied with numerous former Bauhaus artists who had emigrated to the US. Zeisler is widely recognized as a post-Bauhaus pioneer. After mastering the loom during the 40s and 50s, she experimented with 3-dimensional space and started shaping different forms. She needed more freedom to explore off the loom.
How inspiring to read about Zeisler's life as an artist. She braved her world and made beautiful things out of threads. Her contemporary pieces brings you out of what is ordinary and shapes it into a work of art. A craft that mothers taught their daughters side by side. A tradition and cultural practice that gets passed down by generations. Now Females were being seen for more than their craft.
1970s
I couldn't find the title for this crimson waterfall of fibers. While I was exploring Zeisler's art work I was reminded of making friendship bracelets as a kid. Or learning how to work with yarns and fabrics with my mother. The intentional bunches of threads flow at the bottom and leave an impression. At the top, all the red threads are tied together neatly, but the bottom is free and flowing in bunches. I would love to have a model of this masterpiece, but my cats would have way too much fun!
During the Middle of the Modern Art Era, females were able to step into the spotlight. They were no longer hidden in the shadows. What was considered a woman's crafts, could not be shown for the true beauty. Kahlo, O'Keeffee, and Zeisler are just a few women who paved the way for other female artist in this Post Modern World.
Works Cited:
Frida Kahlo https://artsandculture.google.com/story/rAUBPDLcNAzkJA?hl=en
Gerogia O'Keeffe. https://www.georgiaokeeffe.net/ladder-to-the-moon.jsp
Subversive, Skilled, Sublime: Fiber Art by Women. https://americanart.si.edu/exhibitions/fiber-art-by-women
A New History Of Fiber Artists Who Tried To Turn Craft Into Art. https://www.wbur.org/news/2014/10/01/fiber-ica
Feminist Artists Whoose Work You Need to Know. https://artsandculture.google.com/story/AQURUC6SwwhEKw
2 comments:
OH I love the picture of Ladder to the Moon! When I first looked at it, I thought of my father who passed away many years ago. I felt like it was a spiritual picture, but others viewed it as a transition in her life. I would definitely like to own a portrait like this! I enjoyed your blog!
Hello Jade,
Although I would not have either one of the first two pictures in my home, I can relate to what they stand for. Being one that has been married and divorced myself I can understand the feeling of the first painting and of being rooted with your spouse. Secure in your marriage. However, the safe and secure feeling those same roots can give you during a happy marriage can change into a feeling of bondage when the marriage makes you feel like you want to escape. Hence, the second painting for me would be celebrating my newfound freedom. Cutting the ties of emotional bondage.
I like the Ladder to the Moon, but I would not have it in my house. To me it symbolizes the passage of one’s soul from the earth to the heavens. I have lost several members of my family, and this would only remind me of my grief daily. I don’t avoid grieving, but I want to be in control of the when and where.
The abstract clouds. I have never been a fan of abstract art. I try to piece the picture together in my head, but it just doesn’t work. Please accept my sincere apologies, but I don’t like it, nor can I relate to it. If I saw it in a gallery, I would give it a quick look then keep walking.
I have a somewhat similar feeling about yarn art. I like the shape and texture, but it doesn’t make me feel any excitement. I do like that the artist put herself in one of the pictures. An image of a cool, strong and confident woman of the 70s. A great role model for any female.
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