A Story of a Life in Many Forms

[Laura]

This month we're going to take a slightly different approach by exploring the life and work of Frida Kahlo. Born in Mexico on July 6, 1907, Kahlo told her own story through her paintings, which often depicted herself and the events of her life through surrealist elements in a folk-art style. Her vibrant works earned her no little regard in her lifetime, but her fame took off after her death in 1954 at age 47. She has become a feminist icon, and her story has been told and retold in many different forms.

We're going to focus on two works, a film and a book, that tell the story of her life from differing perspectives. "Frida" (2002), starring Salma Hayek, is an Oscar-winning adaptation of the 1983 book "Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo" by Hayden Herrera. For our book choice, however, we'll be reading historical fiction with "Frida" by Barbara Mujica. You can find both of these on hoopladigital.com, and I recommend watching the film first so we can better understand the ways the novel may reinterpret her story. As time allows, we'll also look at some of Kahlo's paintings, to understand the ways she conveyed her experiences, love, and pain through art.