Post 5

This was my first time seeing the film, Frida, and I have to admit, I was entertained by it and enjoyed the incredible cinematography, but it wasn't the most uplifting of films, nor was it one that I necessarily have much of a desire to see again. It wasn't as depressing as say, Pollock or Basquiat, but it was sad, as it chronicled the life of the passionate yet tormented artist, Frida Kahlo. The film covers the basic chronology of Frida's life starting with her wild and rebellious youth, showing her sneaking around as a young school girl with her childhood boyfriend, engaging in sexual acts with him in the closet of her house, while her family is downstairs preparing a meal. It then goes on to show the trolley accident which left Kahlo bedridden for months and physically disabled, an incident which would prove to be a huge source of inspiration for Frida in her artistic endeavors. It was also the catalyst for her interest in art. It then goes on to document her meeting and subsequent marriage to the famous artist, Diego Rivera, and the subsequent joys and sorrows brought on by their union. The film showcases the tumultuous relationship between Kahlo and Rivera through vibrant colors and paintings that come to life with Frida intertwined into them. The film mimics much of Kahlo's art work with the actress, Selma Hayek, placed mostly in the center frame and dressed in bright colors, reminiscent of Frida's own self=portraits. Additionally, the bold vibrant background colors can also be seen as derived from Frida's own art. Throughout the film, the garden at her childhood home where her parent's continue to live in and she subsequently lives in later on in her life, can be seen as an indicator of the emotional situation that Frida is undergoing at different points in her life. When she is sad, the garden is often shown with muted colors, a grayish tint to the scene, and with less than lively plants and flowers. However, when she is happy and in good spirits, the garden is blooming and blossoming, with vibrant colors and brightly shining hues. 

Sherry Ortner writes about women and their inherent connection with nature and men's subsequent connection with culture. Otner asserts that this connection undermines the role of women and puts them in an inferior role to men in society, family life, and culture. Otner explains that the "secondary status of woman in society," is due to the maternal and biological role of women in the grand scheme of life and its continuation. According to Otner, women are seen as closer to nature for three reasons, 1) woman's body and its functions place her closer to nature, 2) woman's body and its functions place her in social roles that in turn are considered to be at a lower order of the cultural process than man's, and 3) that woman's traditional social roles, imposed because of her body and its functions, in turn give her a different psychic structure, which, like her physiological nature and her social roles, is seen as being closer to nature. In Frida, Kahlo is portrayed in a way very similar to Otner's idea of woman as closer to nature, thus, lower than man in his cultural role, however, she is also posited as a woman with an ambiguous side, a more masculine side, taking on male activities throughout the film. The film repeatedly connects Frida with her body as the tool of her power or lack of power, starting with the way her body controls her life in the accident with the trolley. The accident disables Kahlo from being able to ever have children, woman's true "role" in society and life, and Kahlo struggles with this disability throughout the film and her life. According to Otner, "woman's body seems to doom her to mere reproduction of life," so Kahlo's inability to conceive also works to subvert the idea of woman as a mere vessel for conception, because it places Kahlo in line with the male role in culture. Her inability to produce children is painful for Kahlo, but it is not her only driving force in life. She takes on a number of male-dominated activities, including engaging in sexual relationships with both men and women, as well as dressing like a man for her family portrait when she is a teen. She works as a contradiction to both the role of a woman and the role of a man. However, as I mentioned earlier, the role of the garden plays a very large part in the deciphering of Kahlo's personality and mental state. The turmoil that Kahlo undergoes in her life, as well as the uplifting moments and happy times for her, are all reflected in the upkeep or unkemptness of the garden. 

In Janis Bergman-Carton's article and Stephanie Mencimer's article, both author's comment on the female artist and her role in art and the manipulation of her image. Mencimer comments on the devaluation of women artists in a male-dominated art world. Frida reflects on this idea that women artists had to conform to "male standards for admission to the canon- they had to suffer and be mostly ignored during their lifetimes." Male artists could have perfectly fine lives and still succeed, however, women artists need to have some sort of gut-wrenching or debilitating element in their life that brings pain and sorrow to their art work in order for them to be perceived as significant and successful artists. Kahlo's popularity is then seen as inherently connected to her status as a woman, for she paints numerous self-portraits using a mirror and explains, "I paint myself because I am so often alone, because I am the subject I know." This proclamation connects Frida and her abilities as an artist with herself and her role as a woman, as well as the reasons for her popularity. Women, in particular, love Kahlo and her art because it speaks to the passions and pains that many woman face. They see her as a "woman's" artist with her inclusion of subject matter that women can relate to as well as the incorporation of "elements of pop culture, Indian, Aztec mythology, surrealism," as well as a "whole variety of things in which many people can identify."