Frida in America

Can you imagine anything more compelling than Frida Kahlo in Paris dancing with Josephine Baker? It’s an image I like to hold in my mind when courage fails me. Baker, a black female in racist America, overcame the prejudice and poverty of her mid-western roots, and Kahlo, an intriguing blend of Jewish and Indigenous Mexican Indian, surmounted enduring physical pain through a spirit of “Viva la Vida!”

I read constantly. Particular interests of mine include women of the early twentieth century in the Americas, during the Spanish Civil War and in Catalunia, and on the Left Bank in Paris. As an artist and a woman, I’ve felt inspired to paint some of these independent and unforgettable personalities. Adrienne Monnier, who opened the first Parisian bookshop and lending library at 7, Rue de l’Odeon, and Mabel Dodge Luhan, the legendary hostess who brought D.H.Lawrence to Taos, are examples.

Currently, I’m reading Frida in America, the Creative Awakening of a Great Artist, by Celia Stahr. Stahr’s is the first biography detailing Kahlo’s years in North America, discussing how Gringolandia influenced the painter’s thinking and her art. If you are an art lover, a feminist, or both, I recommend this book. It’s a unique and engrossing portrait of one of the world’s most enthralling artists.

I have yet to paint a likeness of Josephine Baker, but attached are several paintings I’ve made of Frida Kahlo. I’m hoping you like them, and that if you do, you’ll consider them, share them, and support their journey in the ways that you know.

Jada

Emerald Frida Kahlo

Viva la Vida

Her Wild and Mysterious Beauty