Though many of Frida Kahlo's paintings are intensely personal works of self expression, her work also bears the mark of various external influences. In her adulthood, Kahlo adopted an "acquired birth year" which coincided with Mexican Revolution of 1910. Kahlo and "modern Mexico were inextricably bound in both revolution and renaissance," according to supplementary materials that accompany Amy Stechler's PBS documentary "The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo." Additionally, Kahlo's work fused an interest in Surrealist techniques with Amerindian influences.
During her life, Kahlo faced periods of turmoil and moments of victory, which are reflected in nearly equal measures in her artwork. In the tenderness of her childhood, Kahlo was stricken with polio, which seems to have contributed to her delay in entering school. "About this time," notes Martha Zamora in her book "Frida Kahlo: The Brush of Anguish," "she developed two tendencies that would become lifelong habits: she began to claim to be younger than she was and to hide her physical disfigurement." Surely, Kahlo did not wish to appear odd to her peers.
A later bus accident on September 17, 1925 profoundly altered the course of Kahlo's life. For an extended period, Kahlo was bedridden, which partially influenced her desire to express herself through artwork. Complications related to her injuries plagued her throughout the length of her life.
Kahlo's masterworks are notable for the depth of intimacy they portray, their revelation of the frailty of human nature and their reference to the nurturing qualities that human beings possess. The significance of her relationship to husband Diego Rivera is emphasized in her work "Self-Portrait as Tehuana or Diego in My Thoughts or Thoughts of Diego" (1943), as Rivera's likeness is evident over her forehead. The bulk of Kahlo's work are creative examples of self portraiture. Some are elegant likenesses, such as "Self Portrait" (1930), while most are slightly-askew portrayals, such as "Henry Ford Hospital or The Flying Bed" (1932), "Broken Column" (1944), or "Wounded Stag or The Little Stag" (1946).
More natural representations, reflective of Amerindian influences, are "Fulang Chang and I" (1937), "Self-Portrait Dedicated to Marte R. Gómez" (1946), and "Roots or The Pedregal" (1943). Works that capture nurturing qualities that sustain human life are "My Nurse and I or Me Suckling" (1937) and "Two Nudes in the Wood or The Earth or My Nurse and I" (1939) (See Resource).
To this day, Kahlo's works alternately confound and inspire viewers. Her art is the subject of countless feminist critiques, and her artistic efforts were legitimized when her 1938 work "Self Portrait--The Frame" was purchased by the Louve. She is the first Hispanic woman to be featured on a U.S. postage stamp and two notable movies have been produced about her life: Frida, Naturaleza Viva (1983), directed by Paul Leduc and starring Ofelia Medina as Frida and Frida (2002), directed by Julie Taymor with Salma Hayek cast as the Mexican painter.