My Grandparents, My Parents, and I

After looking through many of Frida Kahlo’s paintings, one really stood out to me. The painting My Grandparents, My Parents, and I is a busy, intricate painting. The largest figure, off center, is a lady in a white dress. The lady has a fetus in her hand with an umbilical cord disappearing under her dress. On the right of the lady, directly in the center of the painting, is a middle aged gentleman dressed in a suite. The lady’s arm is resting on his shoulder. In front of the man is a tiny child. The child is naked, holding a ribbon which flows under the man and woman. This ribbon then flows under the woman leads to another man and woman that are located in the top left corner of the painting. Both the man and the woman are older and dark skinned. Under the man and woman is a desert scene with mountains and cacti. On the opposite side of the painting, top right corner, is another couple. This couple is connected to the man in the center of the painting by a ribbon. Both the man and the woman are older with lighter colored skin. With all of these different elements there is a lot to look at.

I was really drawn to this painting because it had some deeper meaning. The man and woman in the center of the painting, I assume, are Frida’s parents. Connected to the mother is a fetus, Frida, with the umbilical cord still attached. In front of the parents is Frida as an infant. She is holding a ribbon which symbolizes a blood line. This blood line flows from Frida’s mother to her grandparents on her mother side. I can guess that these two are from Mexico because of the desert scene that lies below them. Coming from the dad is another blood line that flows to Frida’s grandparents on her father’s side. I would guess they were from America or Europe because of their light colored skin. As a whole, this painting represents Frida’s family. It shows her parents and grandparents, and how each grandparent is related.

I really liked this painting because there was a lot to it, and at first glance it seems confusing, but if you look closer it is pretty simple. I loved the way she represented her family. It wasn’t really like a family tree; instead it was very artistic. The way the ribbon flowed from grandparents to parents and that Frida was the one holding the ribbon was genius.


Works Cited:
Kahlo, Frida. My Grandparents, My Parents, and I. 1936. The Museum of Modern Art, New York.         About.com: Art History. Web. 08 September 2010