Fridamania outlines life of Mexican painter

Students and faculty attended an engaging lecture last Thursday on Mexican art and politics, and the political and social context that inspired the works of the renowned Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo.

Sponsored by the Latin American Studies Program, the event, which was officially titled Fridamania: The Cult of Frida Kahlo as a Historical, Cultural, and Political Phenomenon, was delivered in the President's Lounge in Campion Student Center by Barry Carr, Ph.D., of the department of history at La Trobe University in Melbourne, Australia.

Carr is an internationally prominent scholar and specializes in 20th Century Mexican history, and popular political, cultural and social life in Latin America. Additionally, he has published numerous books and articles, including "Marxism and Communism in Twentieth Century Mexico," and "The Latin American Left: From the Fall of Allende to Perestroika."

"I first became interested in the world of Frida Kahlo and her husband, Diego Rivera, not through their artistic life, but through their political work," said Carr. "Many years ago, I was doing research on the history of the Mexican communist party, and both Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera were members of the Mexican communist party."

During the lecture, Carr discussed Frida Kahlo's life and work, and, as a result of her activity in the communist party, the idea of Frida Kahlo being converted into a cult figure and symbol in recent years.

"During her lifetime, even when she herself was not the kind of cult figure she has become, she was quite a self-consciously interested being presenting and positioning herself as part of a revolutionary artistry and political vanguard," said Carr. "[She was] a serious boundary crossing and prominent woman artist, feminist, bisexual, and Marxist."

Carr's lecture also highlighted cultural and political occurrences in Mexico and their relationship to Frida Kahlo, and ended with a question and answer section.

Carr will be lecturing in various universities in the surrounding Philadelphia area over the next two weeks, including Temple University, Haverford College, Villanova University, and West Chester University.

Furthermore, there will be an exhibit on Frida Kahlo's innovative works in February at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.