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- How Frida Kahlo Made History Remember Her Name(part one)
How do you become so good that history remembers your name?
In 1929, 22-year-old Frida Kahlo married one of the most famous artists in the world: 42-year-old Diego Rivera. Those who knew Frida were split on the decision. Her father was for it; he considered Frida difficult to marry off, and her family needed the money. Her mother was against the union. One of you called him a “festering wound” in her life in my comments section - I think her mother would appreciate the observation. Despite Diego doing terrible things, like having an affair with her sister, the marriage came with one huge benefit: it operated like an unofficial apprenticeship for Frida. Diego never wanted to influence her work as an artist, so no official lessons were given. But the lessons Frida learned at Diego’s side were invaluable to her education as an artist.
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Lock in and focus for at least one year
Diego was known for his exceptional work ethic. He worked all night and all day, so Frida would have known how much time and energy it took to become one of the top artists in the world. She gave him feedback while he worked on large-scale pieces, which he welcomed. These round-the-clock feedback sessions were more valuable than any formal art program could ever be. Diego also taught her one of the most important things anyone with a product to sell needs to learn - how to sell to clients.
Diego’s used his art to criticize the same people who were buying it: some of the wealthiest and well-connected capitalists in the world. He painted works critical of men like J.P. Morgan, Henry Ford, and John D. Rockefeller. Rockefellers Jr’s wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, was one of the co-founders of the The Museum of Modern Art. Abby purchased his work for exhibitions and for her personal collection. John D. Rockefeller Jr. had one of Diego's murals added to the Rockefeller building at 30 Rock. It was so controversial that it was eventually destroyed.
This dynamic went on for the first eight years of the marriage. Friday got this total immersive experience, seeing and breathing art everyday of her life, while occasionally creating art of her own.
Lucky for all of us, there was a shift in her priorities, focus and work ethic. 1937 was the year she locked in and focused on what was truly important to her - her art. That year, Frida increased her output as an artist and built a backlog of work. She created more paintings in 1937 than the previous 8 years combined.
And we can see her work changed by increasing her output. Frida said she “...kept about twenty-eight paintings hidden…”Ref 1. It doesn’t take an art critic to look at what Frida made , and see improvements in her work. She made this in 1921 and made this in 1939; we can see a difference in skill level and taste.
As a result of Frida focusing on her craft for an entire year, Firda sold her first painting, to someone she met through Diego.
And that was just the beginning.
Best,
LaToya