Frida Kahlo Tortured Soul By Mrs. Romani and Mrs. Chen

The Two Fridas (Las dos Fridas), 1939 Oil on canvas; 67-11/16 x 67-11/16 inches # The Suicide of Dorothy Hale, Oil on Masonite /16 x 19 1/8 in.

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 Background Middle Ground Foreground 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 }

Bibliography Zamora, Martha. Frida Kahlo the Brush of Anguish. San Francisco: Chronicle Books, Gowing, Sir Lawrence, General Editor. Facts on File Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists. Volume 2. New York: Facts on File, “Biography”. FridaKahlo.com. FridaKahlo.com. 10 October