Kahlo (Basic Art) [Paperback]

Andrea Kettenmann (Author)

Book Description

Series: Basic Art | Publication Date: June 1, 1994

The Mexican artist Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) is one of the most important 20th century painters, and one of the few Latin American artists to have achieved a global reputation. In 1983 her work was declared the property of the Mexican state. Kahlo was one of the daughters of an immigrant German photographer and a Mexican woman of Indian origin. Her life and work were more inextricably interwoven than in almost any other artist's case. Two events in her life were of crucial importance. When she was 18, a bus accident put her in hospital for a year with a smashed spinal column and fractured pelvis. It was from her sick bed that she first started to paint. Then, aged 21, she married the world-famous Mexican mural artist Diego Rivera. She was to suffer the effects of the accident her whole life long, and was particularly pained by her inability to have children. Her arresting pictures, most of them small format self-portraits, express the burdens that weighed upon her soul: her unbearable physical pain, the grief that Rivera's occasional affairs prompted, the sorrow about her childlessness caused her, her homesickness when living abroad and her longing to feel that she had put down roots, profound loneliness. However, they also declare her passionate love for her husband, her pronounced sensuousness, and her unwavering survival instinct.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Taschen (June 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 3822896365
• ISBN-13: 978-3822896365
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,957,510 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

38 of 39 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An introduction to Frida, October 8, 2002

By 

Enrique Torres "Rico" (San Diegotitlan, Califas) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Kahlo (Basic Art) (Paperback)

The ambitious Taschen art series excels at giving an artists works in a nutshell, covering the biography of the artist as well as it's best known works. Following the succcesful formula that has brought you more than fifty artists, from Boteticelli to Andy Warhol, this book on Frida Kahlo is a basic primer. This is the perfect book for someone to learn a little something about the Mexican artist and popular icon of the familiar soaring bird eyebrows . The short biography covers the major events of her tumultous life and graphically displays her most well known works accompanied by some black and white photographs of her with husband Diego Rivera and other notables from her era. The organization and brevity of the book make for the basic cliff notes on Frida. Compiled and researched well the result is a tasteful book for the basics. The perfect book for the casual observer to find out if more information is needed to be learned about this fantastic Mexican artist. It is satisfying but if more detailed insight is needed I would recommend two other books. One is the book the editor relies upon heavily by Hayden Herrera which is the defintive book about Frida Kahlo entitled "Frida A Biography of Frida Kahlo." The other I would recommend for further exploration is by Martha Zamorra entitled Frida Kahlo: The Brush of Anguish." Zamorra's hard to find Spanish edition is superb and much better than the edited English version. Nonetheless, the Tashen version is a good quality book full of vibrant color on good paper printed in Germany on stock that will last many years. Recommended for the art student or anyone interested in this most tormented soul who left her mark in art for the world to enjoy.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Just what I was looking for!, February 20, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Kahlo (Basic Art) (Paperback)

A brief but concise biography of Kahlo and over 70 examples of her work. Having been mesmerized by a few of her pieces, I wanted to see more and learn something about her life. This was just the right dose for me.

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent "basic"., April 6, 2000

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Kahlo (Basic Art) (Paperback)

Benedikt Taschen succeeded in producing a concise yet highly informative biography, which is an excellent departure point for people discovering Frida Kahlo's universe. Art and Spanish students alike will enjoy all the references to other written works, which will make their research easier. Let's not forget an excellent choice of pictures which supplement the photographic reproductions of the artist's work.The commentaries are equally useful. This book is an excellent basic to have in your bookcase and a great introduction to Frida Kahlo.