Frida KahloTortured Soul

By Mrs. Romani and Mrs. Chen

The Two Fridas (Las dos Fridas), 1939Oil on canvas; 67-11/16 x 67-11/16 inches#

The Suicide of Dorothy Hale, 1939. Oil on Masonite. 23 13/16 x 19 1/8 in.

http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/wyndi_nichole/frida_kahlo.jpg

The Feldman Method:There are many philosophies on how to analyze and interpreting Art. Fortunately, Edmund Feldman created a simple 4 step structure of the criticism of art consisting of description, analysis, interpretation and judgment.

Description - What is the Artist’s name? Title of the work? Date of the work? Medium or

materials used? What do you see in the picture? What kind of subject matter is in the picture? Portrait or Landscape?

Analysis - What is in the foreground, mid-ground, and background? What colors and

shapes are used and how have they been arranged? Are there any leading lines, patterns, and if so, where is your eye lead, Is there any use of contrast? if so where. Is there a sense of space or perspective. Are there any special techniques employed by the artist?

Interpretation – What story do you think is being told?

Judgment – What do you like or dislike? How successful do you think the artist was?

Description

Animals, Insects, Bird and Green Leaves

Self Portrait Portrait (vertical)

Kahlo, Frida. Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940 [oil on canvas}.

Analysis

BackgroundMiddle GroundForeground

•Triangle Arrangement

•Muted Color Palette

•Repeating Pattern in

Green Leaves

•Thorny Vine=Leading Line

•Overlapping of Objects

Shows Depth

Interpretation This is a Self Portrait with a Thorn

necklace and Hummingbird

Black bird contrasting against

white shirt

Two Animals and insects

A woman feeling helpless,

surrounded by pain and angst

Sympathetic, saddened.

Judgment Likes {Translucency, Triangle

composition, Animal subject matter, Contrast of organic leaves with painful thorns, Interaction of animals with the main subject}

Dislikes {Contrast of Yellow-green leaf}

Successful {Tortured life experiences conveyed clearly through contrast}

Unsuccessful {none}

BibliographyZamora, Martha. Frida Kahlo the Brush of Anguish. San

Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990.

Gowing, Sir Lawrence, General Editor. Facts on File Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists. Volume 2. New York: Facts on File, 2005.

“Biography”. FridaKahlo.com. FridaKahlo.com. 10 October 2008. <http://www.fridakahlo.com/>.