Frida Kahlo’s Autobiography: A Life in Painting Stacey Lit t l e *

Frida Kahlo began painting in 1925 after a bus accident left her bedridden for several months, and a semi-invalid for the remainder of her life. Throughout her short life she experienced immense physical and emotional pain, not only because of the accident but also because of what she often referred to as her second ‘accident’—her husband Diego Rivera.1 Kahlo was a fierce nationalist, and felt a strong connection with her Mexican heritage. Her political beliefs, cultural heritage and suffering feature throughout her artworks. Critics have come to believe that Kahlo sought to externalise and distance her pain through her art. When engaging with Kahlo’s work it becomes obvious to onlookers that they were experiencing her painted autobiography. Pieces such as Self-Portrait (1948),Henry Ford Hospital (1932), My Dress Hangs Here (1933), and The Two Fridas (1939) are all significant works that commemorate events and emotions felt by Kahlo, and represent the autobiographical nature of her work