Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera: "I am unhappy with you, but there will be no happiness without you"

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

The love story of the expressive artist Frida Kahlo and the eccentric monumentalist Diego Rivera is as dramatic as it is full of genuine sincere feelings. The story of their love is an incredible example of how a loving person, even suffering from physical pain, knows how to prioritize not his own experiences, but feelings for another person.

Conquering pain

In 1907, the future artist Frida Kahlo was born in Mexico City in the family of a Jewish emigrant and a Spanish beauty. A lively, mobile girl, having recovered from polio at the age of 6, although she remained lame for the rest of her life, did not lose her agility and fortitude.

The second test was prepared for her at the age of eighteen. As a result of a terrible accident, in which the bus with Frida got into, her body was literally shattered: her spine, ribs, and pelvic bones were damaged. The consequences of this tragedy will remain with Frida for life, forcing him to spend several years in bed motionless, learn to endure and drown out unbearable physical pain, and cultivate an extraordinary fortitude.

Perhaps, from the father-photographer, Frida passed on a figurative perception of life and a desire to express it on paper in the form of paintings. And her extraordinary painting, filled with brightness of colors and a certain gloom of images, became an expression of her world, her soul and pain, and her salvation. Despite the harsh facial features and specificity of nature, Frida had an attractiveness for men. Cheerfulness, a sharp mind and a sense of humor made her simply irresistible: she charmed men already at the first meeting.

How can we know what the meeting is preparing for us

Frida's future husband, Diego Rivera, was in his own way similar to his beloved woman with a striking difference in external data with the depth and scale of personality. Huge growth, completely awkward, with hair sticking out in different directions, but unusually infectious in its charm, charisma and sensuality. By the time he met Kahlo, Diego was already known as a monumental painter. He received private orders for his work and carried out government orders from the Mexican government.

In addition to a successful career in the field of art, Rivera was a member of the Communist Party since 1922, visited the Soviet Union several times and was an ardent supporter of the ideas of communism. The level of his personality in the political sphere is so noticeable that his circle of contacts includes venerable contemporaries, such as, for example, Vladimir Mayakovsky, who has been to his house more than once.

Thanks to the painting, Frida and Diego met. Having regained her strength after the accident, Kahlo brought her works, painted during her illness, for the evaluation of the venerable painter. “This girl is an artist from birth, extraordinarily sensitive and capable of observation,” says Rivera about the work of young Kahlo.

At the time of their acquaintance, Diego was free and gladly devoted himself to the daring young artist Kahlo. The twenty-year age difference only added to the strangeness of this already extraordinary couple.

In 1929, Frida and Diego got married. But even the wedding was unusual - the merry stroll suddenly turned into the groom's gunfire at the guests. The young wife was so shocked and scared that she returned back to her parents. But Diego managed to get forgiveness and took his wife. Their family life continues in the house, which later became known as the "blue house", becoming a meeting place for bohemians, representatives of art and various social movements.

I'm unhappy with you, but without you there will be no happiness

Their relationship was filled with emotions and passion, which, like stormy waters, either lifted on the waves of unrestrained love, then broke about misunderstanding and quarrels. Being a favorite of women, even after marriage with twenty-year-old Frida, he was in no hurry to change his life and cross out his ex-girlfriends, which brought incredible suffering to Kahlo's female pride. She, in turn, possessing a sharp tongue and being hurt by his attitude, did not hold back emotions in criticizing his artwork.

Another tragedy for their couple was the absence of children. Frida's inability to bear the child due to severe injuries did not allow her to experience the happiness of being a mother. She often called her husband a big child, depicting him in her paintings in the form of a baby.

Cheating on her husband with her younger sister Kahlo was another blow. The painting with a cut and bleeding woman was the result of the suffering of her soul from this act. Rivera's betrayal pushed Frida to hobbies on the side. Catching his wife in the arms of an American sculptor, Diego could hardly restrain himself from shooting both of them.

The fall in love with Kahlo of Leon Trotsky, a friend of Diego who lived in their house, became one of the reasons for the drama that ensued later. Trotsky and his wife fled to Mexico from Russia as disgraced émigrés and found shelter in the house of Rivera and Kahlo. The Russian communist was really carried away by the extraordinary artist, but the novel was destined to be revealed, Trotsky left the house of his former friend and was killed in the wilderness of the Mexican slums.

We parted to be together again

Family relations more and more cracked, and in 1939 the couple decided to divorce. Frida leaves for America, tries to forget herself in a series of novels, but soon ends up in the hospital with terrible pains in the spine. The painting, painted during the divorce period, depicts Frida herself in two guises - happy with the image of Diego and broken, with a needle in her hand.

Upon learning of Kahlo's condition, Diego immediately arrives at the hospital and … again proposes to her. She accepts it, but this time sets strange conditions - there will be no physical contacts between them, and they will be completely financially independent from each other, except for the joint payment of the house. Diego wants Frida's return so much that he accepts any of her conditions. Returning to their common home, he regularly receives messages of love from Frida. In 1940, their second wedding took place.

The last years of her life, Kahlo kept a diary full of her notes, memories and declarations of love for her husband. “If I had health, I would give everything to Diego” - this is how Frido writes about the main love of his life.

Before leaving, she will write the last thing that still holds her here on earth. No, she doesn't take paint. Like the real Poet that she was in life and in painting, she will take a pen. And as a real Woman, which she was in spite of all her fears, she will write her ballad about love:

Frida Kahlo died on July 13, 1954. She was alone in her home in Kayokan. The letter with this poetic address will be given to Diego a few days before his own death.

For all fans of Frida Kahlo's creativity more 30 photo portraits of a strong woman and a talented artist.