Frida Kahlo: The Lonely Artist. The Entire Life Story

Publisher's Summary

Frida Kahlo was ahead of her time. She was bisexual and would have fit in perfectly in the time we live in now. Her disabilities would be acceptable in our society of today and her husband, Diego would probably be run out of town by the Real Housewives of “Cheaters”.

Frida came with a lot of baggage in her life starting when she was only six years old and even more baggage piled on when she was in high school. Her suffering was more than anyone can imagine but she kept her head held high and forged her way forward.

Inside you’ll hear about:

• Frida’s birth and family
• Frida and Diego begin their life together
• Diego’s First Fight with Penile Cancer
• Frida’s lovers
• Frida was rotten to the core
• A lifetime of Frida’s creations
• A medical doctor’s perspective on Frida

And much more!

If Frida had not had a unibrow, waxed her upper lip, and shaved under her arms, she may have appeared more feminine than she did, and it may have given her more self-confidence. She never gave herself a chance because she felt it was her job to be the boy in the family.

©2019 The History Hour (P)2019 The History Hour

Poorly written

The author begins the book with so many prejudices like (I'm paraphrasing here) "Frida was ugly but could have had any man she wanted, I cannot fathom how!" The biography definitely did add to what I already knew about Frida Kahlo but is no way in-depth and provides no insights whatsoever. I have no qualms in suggesting to skip this book.

Wonderfully descriptive and interesting biography

Wonderfully descriptive and interesting biography of one of our greatest artists so far. Tortured but willing to share her gift. The book is great and the movie brings it alive very well.

Great one

Frida Kahlo captured my heart and commanded my respect with her bravery and intelligence . You get the sense Hayden Herrera has her finger on Frida Kahlo's pulse.

good one

I'm only part way through, but enjoying so far. I look forward to listening it when I have the time

great

I purchased this book after visiting the Casa Azul in Mexico City this summer, as I longed to learn more about Frida. I especially liked that the author included letters to and from Friday.

I LOOOVE THIS BOOK!

I LOOOVE THIS BOOK! I read the whole thing and its by far the best biography of Frida... i had this book several years back and it suffered water damage.. so glad i bought it again :)

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

One of the best biographies

One of the best biographies I have read. Presents an accurate portrayal of Kahlo. Would like to have seen more done w. Impact of opiates, which she took for the duration, on what she rendered in her art.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

interested

I became interested with Frida after seeing the Salma Hayek movie.Her life is fascinating and a woman who speaks her mind and lives her life with not regrets at a time when the equality of the female gender was of no importance. I have just begun reading and am pleased with Hayden Herrera's style and enjoy the information on Frida's tumultuous life.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

excellent

This is a truly well biography that both illuminates Frida Kahlo's life and art. A must listen if you love this artist.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

I've had this book on my wish list for a long whil

I've had this book on my wish list for a long while and I was not disappointed when I finally bought it. Well researched, well written and lots, I mean lots, of photographs of Frida, Rivera and Frida's art. A pleasure.

0 of 1 people found this review helpful

One cannot live in the modern world without regul

One cannot live in the modern world without regularly encountering self-portrait images of the beautiful and tragic Frida Kahlo. Whether on coffee mugs, t-shirts, posters, or Mexican artifacts, Frida's exquisite face with its darkly joined eyebrows and beribboned hair is immediately familiar to most observers, even if they do not know who she was. Yet Frida Kahlo's popularity in the twentieth century can be wholly attributed to her brilliance. Unlike the work of most modern artists, almost all of her 200 paintings depict realist, surrealist, and primitive self-portraits symbolizing the concerns and agonies of her life. Hayden Herrera's fine biography is still, seventeen years after its publication, the champion text on one of the most important, original, and phenomenal painters of our time.
Frida was born in 1910 (the year the Mexican Revolution began)to a Mexican mother and German father in the same cobalt blue house in Coyoacan, a suburb of Mexico City, where she later worked and shared her life with the great muralist Diego Rivera. Ironically, it is the house where her life also ended. Today it is a museum, open to the public and still festooned with her beautiful collections of retablos, pottery, and Mexican folk art. Frida's life was consumed by pain as a result of suffering polio at age 6 and a bus/trolley collision as a teenager when, thrown from the bus, she was gored by a steel rail. Frida spent most years of her life bedridden and in body casts (which she also painted)after some 30 surgeries meant to alleviate her suffering. Throughout her life,and even while prone in a bed with a mirrored canopy, she painted herself because of the focus created by chronic pain and said, "I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone." Her self-portraits suggest deep meanings as her face is always encircled with images derived from her physical and psychological life. The paintings are vibrant and, typical of many of her women contemporaries' works, tiny.
Hayden Herrera's book presents a comprehensive life study of the great artist, incorporating photographs, diaries, letters, painting reproductions, eye witness accounts, and local history and politics in the most readable, enjoyable, intelligent work available. An art historian, Ms. Herrera is thoroughly knowledgeable and writes beautifully, as well. One will be as engrossed by this book as by any great novel. Her work convincingly recreates the scenes from Frida's life and populates them with important contemporaries Frida knew and loved, including Andre Breton, Leon Trotsky, Tina Modotti, Pablo Picasso, and, of course, her own Diego Rivera who called her the greatest painter of our time.
There isn't a more engaging biography available about Frida Kahlo (in second place is Herrera's other text, Frida Kahlo:The Paintings), and one need not be an art student to be enthralled by this work. Ms. Herrera's compassionate, energetic account will capture anyone who wonders just what Frida Kahlo was like--her inspirations, occupations, and truly vivacious approach to her one very painful and amazingly productive life.

There is a lot of careful and meticulous research

There is a lot of careful and meticulous research in this book and the author has done a amazing job putting so much information together in such a readable format.

But several times in the book the author concludes things about Frida's motivations and attitudes to her illnesses struck me as perhaps quite unfair and unlikely. The conclusions didn't seem to match the evidence.

Clearly Frida had a strong link with Diego, maybe

Clearly Frida had a strong link with Diego, maybe even an obsession, but I think it is going too far to say she had unnecessary surgeries so as to elicit his attention. She was so much more of a complex and intelligent person than that and he was not the only motivation for her actions. It is easy to write now that some of those surgeries were unnecessary (and they were)...but then, many treatments those of us that are ill try are unnecessary. The point is that you don't know that until afterwards!

Frida's letters to her doctor friend, several of

Frida's letters to her doctor friend, several of which are included in the book, made it very clear that she was anxious to have more surgery only if it'd really help her and if he thought it was a good idea. To me she was very clearly motivated only by a desire to have the best health when she decided on a surgery or decided against it. She really wanted this doctor's unbiased opinion either way. She was certainly not biased towards surgery and didn't take it lightly, as she knew what a cost it'd have during recovery.

Frida Kahlo was not just an extraordinary artist b

Frida Kahlo was not just an extraordinary artist but was moreover an extraordinary person. Herrera's heartfelt, deeply researched, and brilliantly written biography allows those of us who never knew her to feel as if we have and to share in the universal quality of her painful work. That alone makes us better people for having experienced it.

I bought this book after re-watching the movie ta

I bought this book after re-watching the movie taken largely from this exhaustive biography. As someone who has read many bios, let me say that this is a refreshing and encouraging alternative to the fawning and excessive grocery store drivel and/or the dull and fact-filled dissertations that describe most biographies. Hayden Herrera manages to combine a staggeringly comprehensive detailing of Kahlo's life with an easy prose that makes for an engaging read. I know far more about this artist than I could've imagined and it is largely first-hand accounts either from the pages of Frida's own diaries and numerous letters or the people who were there. Herrera keeps her personal opinions regarding the events to a minimum and allows the events to speak for themselves. The life of Frida Kahlo needs no additional padding or maudlin tricks to engender a connection to anyone with a heart and soul. When the author does speculate, it comes from someone who has clearly studied her subject thoroughly and backs up her theories with a wealth of compelling evidence and sensible arguments. While her appreciation for Kahlo is obvious, Herrera does not stop short of being critical, questioning Kahlo's motives, and revealing the stark humanity and insecurity that Kahlo tried to obscure with her public persona as the confident, outspoken, provocative enchantress sporting her exotic Tehuana finery.

Frida Kahlo through her jewelry, makeup and especi

Frida Kahlo through her jewelry, makeup and especially her clothing. Interesting concept. I had never given this any kind of thought. Maybe on account of gender? Gave me insight as to why Frida did choose the styles and looks she did. From a practical standpoint to making political and personal statements. Interesting insight into a very complex human being. Not a bad book.

This is simply one of the most beautifully produc

This is simply one of the most beautifully produced affordable art books ever made. It is not the definitive study of Kahlo’s work but is an excellent study of the beautiful persona she created from a tortured life and is lushly illustrated. Mini portfolios on various Kahlo topics, like small books within the book are bound into it. You have to own it if you are a Kahlo fan

A beautiful book!

A beautiful book! Gives new insight into Kahlo! The book shows the previously unseen personal items from a cupboard in the blue house. The items are on display in London's Victoria and Albert Museum.

Excellent book.

Excellent book. Though much of information is available in other books about Frida Kahlo, the emphasis on her personal style was very interesting. She herself was a piece of art using clothing and jewelry as her paints and her body as a canvas. Highly recommended for Frida Kahlo fans.