Frida Kahlo’s self-portrait entitled “Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird and Unibrow” was created in 1940. It is a mixture of Realism, Symbolism and Surrealism, and was painted in Mexico City. Although her work is often classified as surrealism, she never considered herself a surrealist. “I paint my own reality,” she once said. (Johnson Lewis, 2005, Frida Kahlo Quotes) She was deeply influenced by indigenous Mexican culture, which surfaced in her paintings’ bright colours, dramatic symbolism, and unapologetic rendering of often harsh and gory content. Fifty-five of her 143 paintings were self-portraits, Kahlo’s preferred subject. “I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.” (Johnson Lewis, 2005, Frida Kahlo Quotes) Kahlo exhibited several times with European surrealists, has had multiple books written on her life and artwork, including her own diary which was published in 1995, and a movie has been made about her life. Frida Kahlo has gained so much fame that the story of her life has almost overtaken her artwork in recognition. Frida Kahlo’s ‘Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird and Monobrow’ displays an expressionless woman with an emphasized monobrow and moustache. She appears to be a young adult of Mexican heritage. The background is of a rainforest scene, with a monkey and a wildcat above her shoulders. The woman is wearing a necklace make of thorns with a hummingbird attached at the centre. Dragonflies and butterflies surround her head, which has a cloth “crown” on it. The woman’s characteristic features are impassive, and it is only with addition of symbols such as thorns and butterflies that indicate psychological intent. For this reason, some people have compared her artwork to religious icons. (2005, Frida Kahlo) Confusion and curiosity are stimulated by the portrait. Because of the exaggerated monobrow and moustache, it is at first difficult to establish the gender of the figure, which causes confusion. The portrayal of Frida with masculine characteristics triggered curiosity to why it was depicted in this manner.Kahlo’s self-portrait was painted on canvas using oil paint. Her use of traditional Mexican influences yet her modern approach have caused the materials to be used in both a traditional and contemporary manner. The paint has been applied boldly, incorporating the traditional use of colour in indigenous Mexican art. The artwork has been strictly composed using a vertical compositional format, with Kahlo in the centre and the cat and monkey above her left right and left shoulders, creating a very balanced artwork.

The focal point of the artwork is her face, which is established by placement, contrast and line. The monobrow is vertically centred and almost horizontally in the middle. The black colouring of the monobrow is sharply contrasted against the paler, reddish-brown colour of her skin. The hummingbird at the bottom not only “points” upwards to the face, but has also been cleverly manipulated to imitate Kahlo’s brow, drawing further attention to her facial features. From the monobrow, the eye then travels back down to the hummingbird, then back towards the cloth crown and butterflies.

The bold contrasting use of colour emphasizes Kahlo’s monobrow, eyes and hair, making her appear quite solemn. The use of tone adds shadows under her eyes, creating the feel of sadness and tiredness. Emphasis on Kahlo’s brow and eyes make her eyes soulful in appearance, which captivates the viewer’s attention, causing them to scrutinise the painting. Keeping the painting balanced by positioning the monkey and cat over the shoulders create three balanced sections, keeping the focus on the figure.

Symbolism plays a huge role in all of Kahlo’s work, and without her use of symbols many of her works would be absent of emotions and any deeper meaning. A dead hummingbird, a necklace of thorns, butterflies and dragonflies and a monobrow are all used in “Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird and Unibrow.” Hummingbirds are a traditional Mexican symbol of good luck, and are ironically used in reference to her unfortunate life, and to her Mexican heritage. The thorn necklace represents Christ’s unravelled crown of thorns, marking Frida’s Christianity, whilst the dragonflies and butterflies symbolise the Resurrection. The exaggerated beard and monobrow are political statements towards feminism as in western culture they are seen as undesirable and so are purposely emphasized.

Kahlo’s painting was created in Mexico 1940, a time of great economical and political change in Mexico. Kahlo was a nationalist but avant-garde representational artist in the era of surrealism, and her paintings have been described as a combination of surrealism, symbolism, and realism. (Frida Kahlo, 2007) The aim of surrealism was to unleash the “deep layer” of the human mind where memories and the most basic instincts are stored, and to revive the “unconscious” mind and reconcile it with rational life. Kahlo unconsciously utilized the first images, thoughts, and desires that crossed her mind. (Hernandez, 2007, Frida-Kahlo, The Surrealist?)

In her art, Kahlo interpreted these themes in a symbolic manner to express and understand the tragedy of her life. It was only after a horrendous vehicle accident when she was eighteen that she started most of her artwork, to channel her pain into something expressive, an outlet of her experiences. Kahlo’s work went beyond the limits of reality. She transferred every thought into her painting, and demonstrated that her life revolved around pain and horror. (Brown, 2002, Frida Kahlo- an Amazing Woman) Her painting reflects Mexican culture through the traditional flat, two-dimensional figures. The political and gender-based message of feminism and nationalism is shown through the unconventional exaggeration of her monobrow and moustache.

A number of factors influenced Kahlo’s artwork, the most important arguably being her traumatic life. Kahlo’s paintings always conveyed her pain and suffering she went through during her entire life, caused by childhood polio, serious injuries from the accident when she was eighteen, and multiple complications due to her previous conditions, including several painful miscarriages. Her famous husband, Diego Rivera, a cubist artist and muralist constantly guided, encouraged, and gave Frida support in her art. (Frida Kahlo, 2005) Her hometown and residence for most of her life, Mexico, also had a dramatic impact on her art. Her love for traditional Mexican art is evident through her use of flat-style figures and bright, bold colours.

Frida Kahlo never intended to produce surrealism; she simply portrayed her own tragic life. Kahlo never tried to convince anyone or herself that she was simply an ordinary woman. Instead, she shared her deepest expressions, emotions and desires, and her art became the reason for her to live. Her painting “Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird and Unibrow” can be found at Henry Ransom Humanities Research Centre Art Collection at the University of Texas, USA. (Frida Kahlo with Thorn Necklace, 24/03/07) Kahlo’s work makes sure that her name will forever have a place in history, as every painting she created distinguished her from other women, and made her a heroine of art.