| Self Portrait with Loose Hair | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Artist | Frida Kahlo |
| Year | 1947 |
| Type | Self portrait |
| Medium | Oil on masonite |
| Dimensions | 61 cm × 45 cm (24 in × 18 in) |
| Location | Private collection, Des Moines |
| Website | www |
Self Portrait with Loose Hair (Spanish: Autorretrato con el pelo suelto), also known as Self Portrait with Unbound Hair, is a 1947 oil-on-masonite painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo.
Description
In a 2012 exploration of hair as an indicator of indigenous feminine identity, Self Portrait with Loose Hair is described as:
- "In this autorretrato (self-portrait), Kahlo paints a bust of herself with her dark hair untied and cascading over her shoulder. The thick texture of her hair consumes the right portion of the image. She is wearing traditional Mexican attire. The background appears to be representative of gray stone, and a green leaf is placed near her head. At the bottom of the image, a tattered scroll spans the width of the composition and reveals loosely painted text."
The text on the picture reads, "Here I painted myself, Frida Kahlo, with my reflection in the mirror. I am 37 years old and this is July, 1947. In Coyoacán, Mexico, the place where I was born." Kahlo was 40 years old at the time.
Interpretation
Academic Sharyn Rohlfsen Udall argued that Kahlo "reveled in nonconformity and disobedience to societal norms" and that, in painting this picture, "she may have been connecting with that formidable prototype."
History
Feminist activist, art collector and philanthropist Louise Noun owned the painting until 1991, when it was sold at auction to a private party, creating a $1.5 million endowment for the Iowa Women's Archives in the process. The total auction price of $1.65 million set a record for Latin American art.
See also
- Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird
- Self-Portrait with Monkey
- The Two Fridas
- List of paintings by Frida Kahlo
Notes
- Original Spanish text: "Aquí me pinté yo, Frida Kahlo, con mi reflejo en el espejo. Tengo 37 años y es Julio de 1947. En Coyoacán, México, el sitio en donde nací."
References
- ^ Rubin, Jr., Louis D. (1995). A Writer's Companion. Baton Rouge: LSU Press. ISBN 9780807119921.
- Zamora, Martha (1990). Frida Kahlo: Brush of Anguish. San Francisco: Chronicle Books. ISBN 9780811804851.
- ^ Lashley, Brooke (2012). "A Displacement of the Self: How Manuel Alvarez Bravo Uses Hair to Represent the Reassertion of an Indigenous Feminine Identity in Postrevolutionary Mexico". Augsburg Honors Review. 5 (8): 7–13. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- Rohlfsen Udall, Sharyn (2000). Carr, O'Keeffe, Kahlo: Places of Their Own. New Haven: Yale University Press. ISBN 9780300091861.
- Karen M. Mason. "Archives for All". Iowa Women's Archive. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- Prussell, Deborah (1999). "Louise Noun and The Iowa Women's Archives". Women's History News Network. 1 (61). Retrieved 22 April 2023.
- Paredez, Deborah (2009). Selenidad: Selena, Latinos, and the Performance of Memory. Durham: Duke University Press. ISBN 9780822390893.
External links
- Self Portrait with Loose Hair at FridaKahlo.org
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