What do we know about her life? What do we know about her paintings? What do we know about her political awareness and standing? 6 Next “The only thing I know … is that I paint because I need to” Frida Kahlo 1 SACE2 Visual Art Studies – Artist Biography © 2011 Tracy Breed, Flinders University of South Australia Disclaimer: Many of Frida’s art works are explicit in detail, if you find them difficult to view, please discuss this with me and we will find a solution.

6 Next 1345 The Broken Column 1944 What the Water Gave Me 1938 The Two Fridas 1939 The following links take you to pages that have a great deal of good information about Frida Kahlo, her work in chronological order and detailed descriptions of several of her pieces. Click on the dots to access sites. This youtube clip shows some of the only footage of Frida available. A chronological list of Frida’s paintings A chronological list of her drawings and sketches, including the accident. A brief biography about Frida Kahlo A full biography that includes some beautiful quotes by Frida A site that focuses on several of Frida’s paintings and discusses the meaning behind the symbology. 2 © 2011 Tracy Breed, Flinders University of South Australia

6 Next 1245 Time Period Painting Life Experiences What the Water Gave Me 1938 This painting shows many of the experiences Frida faced… (what were some of these experiences and how are they shown symbolically? How many life experiences are included in this one painting?) The Broken Column 1944 This painting shows how Frida felt about the state of her body, and depicted the many surgeries she underwent. (How many surgeries did Frida have? When did they start, and how did they affect Frida’s life?) The Two Fridas 1939 This shows Frida felt she was living two very different lives. (What were these two lives, what were their impacts upon Frida, her beliefs, marriage and her work?)  Gather as many images of Frida's art to recreate an aspect of her life (only one painting per year).  Give the dates and titles of the pieces and a brief overview of why you chose each image, and their pertinence to Frida’s life, this information can be set out in a table as shown above. Make sure the image fits with the events/experiences surrounding Frida. 3 © 2011 Tracy Breed, Flinders University of South Australia

From the gathered images and information, you must write a biography on Frida Kahlo. This biography is to focus on one part of her life only. You can choose to discuss: This biography must be no longer than 1000 words. You may choose to write it as a diary entry, recount, biography, or in essay format. Ensure that the piece is historically factual, however it is okay to make your own analysis and interpretation of what you believe Frida’s paintings represent. The paintings you have chosen must be included in the final piece, remember to label them properly, name, date and where you accessed them. A Reference page must also be included. See Rubric for more assessment informationRubric Please include all charts, tables, story boarding etc. you have used in order to gather and collate your information. 6 Next © 2011 Tracy Breed, Flinders University of South Australia The accident and how it affected her mental and physical state. Frida’s marriage to Diego Rivera. Frida’s political career Her desire and inability to have children. Frida’s commissioned works.

Click on the pictures to learn more about: 6 Next © 2011 Tracy Breed, Flinders University of South Australia If you are interested in learning more about Frida Kahlo, the movie Frida starring Selma Hayek is an excellent resource, or if you like to read and have her paintings close to hand the book Frida Kahlo: the paintings by Hayden Herrera is wonderful! Diego Rivera Frida and Diego Portraits of personal suffering Frida’s political interests Frida’s inability to have children

SACE2 LEARNING REQUIREMENTS (2011) 5. analyse, interpret, and respond to visual arts in cultural, social, and/or historical contexts 6. develop inquiry skills to explore visual arts issues, ideas, concepts, processes, techniques, and questions. AREA OF STUDY 1 – Visual Thinking discussion of the role of the visual arts in shaping personal development and cultural identity. AREA OF STUDY 3 - Visual Arts in Context Students are provided with opportunities to contextualise art or design; that is, to place works of art or design culturally, socially, and/or historically. The Student will demonstrate: KU2 Knowledge and understanding of visual arts in different cultural, social, and/or historical contexts. KU3 Understanding of the aesthetic and/or functional qualities in works of art or design. IE1 Use of research skills and understanding of inquiry methods to locate and acknowledge sources, explore, experiment, and develop insights into aspects of the visual arts. While this slam dunk lesson is situated as a SACE2 Visual Arts Assignment, it can easily be adapted for English, SOSE or Health (especially the Mental Health component). This assignment has the capacity to become part of a much larger study, discussing the connection between mental/physical illness and art; political art; visual artists techniques and styles; or asking the students to recreate their own ‘Frida-esque’ works (e.g. painting or sculpture), alongside which they would create a diary of their back-up work © 2011 Tracy Breed, Flinders University of South Australia