Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo

Born in Mexico

around the time of the Mexican Revolution in 1906, Frida would grow up to be very politically motivated.

Frida contracted polio as a young girl, causing one of her legs to be very thin. She often wore long skirts to cover her misshapen leg.

She grew healthier and returned to school, but one day, - after classes at high school - she was in a terrible bus accident. A pole from the bus went through her body, crushing her pelvis and damaging her legs. She had to stay in a full body cast for months.

During that time, she began to paint…

Every day for months, Frida lay in bed, unable to move around the house or go to school. 

Her father got her paints and encouraged her to try and entertain herself.

She began by decorating her body cast, a habit that stayed with her any time she was confined to bed throughout her life. 

Frida was a natural painter. Having little else to paint, she started to paint self-portraits.

Her self-portraits became her specialty and they are now the reason she is so well-known.

Frida was in chronic pain after recovering from her accident. She underwent many surgeries throughout her life to correct the damage done to her body.

She wore girdles made of metal because the doctors said they would help her pain, but they only made things worse. In many of her self-portraits, Frida appears to be in pain. She was trying to show how her accident always affected her.  

Multiple Choice

What kind of paintings is Frida most well-known for?

• Still life

• Cubism

• Self-portraits

• Nature scenes

Multiple Choice

Why did Frida wear long skirts?

• To cover a wooden leg from a bus accident

• To cover her smaller leg that came from having polio as a child

• She just liked the fashion

• She made them herself and wanted to showcase her abilities

Multiple Choice

Why did Frida start to paint?

• She was stuck in bed for months after a terrible bus accident

• She went to an art school for children

• She met another painter that encouraged her to start

Frida’s life was difficult, but she also found great happiness in it.

She married Diego Rivera, a famous Mexican muralist, and was said to be “madly in love” with him.

Many people thought Frida and Diego were a funny couple because Frida was so beautiful and Diego was thought to be funny-looking. 

Frida loved Diego because he was so talented and interested in many of the same things in which she was interested.  

Frida and Diego fought a lot and eventually divorced, only to remarry one year later. They stayed together until Frida died, but sometimes lived in separate houses (next door to each other) to keep from fighting so much!

Here they are with their pet monkey.

Fill in the Blanks

Which other famous painter did Frida marry?

Multiple Choice

What kind of artwork was Frida's husband known for?

• self-portraits

• nature scenes

• portraits of politicians

• murals

Multiple Select

Check all that apply to Frida and Diego's relationship

• They had a pet monkey

• They were married from 1929-1954

• They got divorced

• They remarried after a year apart

• They sometimes lived in separate houses

Frida always enjoyed the natural beauty of Mexico. 

She took pride in her country and loved to be surrounded by all kinds of wildlife.

She had pet iguanas, parrots, dogs, monkeys, cats, and many others!

Multiple Choice

Frida did not like nature or animals

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Select all the animals Frida had as pets that you know of.

• Birds

• Spiders

• Cats and Dogs

• Monkeys

• Lizards