The Little Deer by Frida Kahlo

What a unique self- portrait “The Little Deer” is.  I chose this painting to write about because of the variety of emotions it stirred up in me.  “The Little Deer” is one of over fifty-five self- portraits painted by Frida Kahlo.  My belief is, the artist was making a definite statement when she painted this portrait.  The basis for my believing this is, one of Frida Kahlo’s favorite sayings was, “I paint self- portraits because I am so often alone, and I am the person I know best.  I paint my reality.”

Ms. Kahlo’s reality on the day this portrait was painted was not a favorable reality.  She seemed   to be  communicating that she felt alone and lonely.  The look I see in her eye says, “life has had its way with me.’  The arrows in her back, chest, side and butt, indicate: misery, hardship, pain and difficulty at every turn.  The trees on either side give the impression that she is trapped.  This painting says the trials and tribulations of life are turning her into an animal.

My feedback is based on my reaction to studying the portrait, as well as, reading a minute amount of information about the interesting life of the artist.  Frida Kahlo was born in 1907 and she died in 1954.  Ms. Kahlo was not only an internationally acclaimed artist, she was also a feminist icon in a time when feminism wasn’t even heard of.  Ms. Kahlo had a serious car accident in 1926 this was around the time she began painting. Her life was filled with adversity.  Frida Kahlo displayed her life history and her feelings through her self- portraits.