Analysis: “Las Dos Fridas” by Kahlo

In Frida Kahlo’s painting, “Las Dos Fridas,” she shows a sense of suffering while also demonstrating her growth from suffering to resilience. There’s a direct representation of Frida before her marriage with Diego Rivera and the Frida in result of the years of her marriage. Created in 1939, the painting followed her divorce with Rivera after ten years of partnership. Kahlo paints two versions of herself, one with a pure white European styled dress and the other in a more colorful Mexican styled dress. Although, both Kahlo’s demonstrate different styles they both connect with their holding hands in between them and connected heart veins. These connections and similarities are overlooked with the many differences in the painting. A noticeable example of this is the difference in the hearts. Frida in European style has a heart that looks a little less full and healthy compared to Frida in Mexican style. This visual is mostly due to another difference, which directs to the objects in their hands. Frida in European style holds scissors that cut her artery, releasing the blood from her heart and onto her dress. In comparison, Frida in the Mexican style holds a small image of Rivera at the end of her artery. The Frida in the European style shows suffering and displeasure. She is pale in the face while she internally bleeds, not looking herself. In comparison, Frida in the Mexican style sits more content, almost slouched, with a full heart of blood and a more standard skin tone. Surrounding the two Fridas is a dark, dim sky portraying a gloomy feeling.

Previous to this painting, mostly before her marriage, Kahlo wears many dresses similar to the white European one we see. It wasn’t until she married Rivera that she began to embrace her Mexican roots. Frida in her Mexican style seems more content and comfortable. Her slightly slouched body and opened legs indicate her relaxed persona. Frida in her European style looks comparably tense and high strung. Her legs are slightly closed while she sits in an upright position. Even her dress looks more conservative as it fully covers her neck and more of her arms. These comparisons between Frida in European style and in Mexican style show her change from unhappiness to calm. Along with these comparisons are other indicators in the painting that show a more pronounced gesture of her previous suffering attitude in her European style. Frida in European style automatically shows her sense of suffering through the rich red blood pouring on her pure white dress, though, more importantly, the cause of this bleeding is due to her own self-destruction through the cutting of her artery. Frida in Mexican style also holds a symbolic element. In her hand is an image of Rivera indicating her pain from their separation, though, her lack of bleeding shows how much stronger she is. Both the scissors and Rivera’s picture at the end of her artery shows her connection to pain, though the physical changes of Mexican style Frida show how much she’s changed and grown. Frida in her European and Mexican style both show how they connect through their connected bloodstreams and hands. This illustrates how both versions of Frida are apart of her, but still represent two different sides of her.