Frida Kahlo stands as one of the most iconic figures in both Mexican and global art history. Her life and work have been the subject of countless analyses, not only for her distinctive style but also for the deep emotional and symbolic content that permeates her creations. Kahlo transformed her personal pain into a unique visual language, addressing themes such as identity, suffering, and Mexican culture. One of her most emblematic works, The Wounded Deer (1946), is a powerful reflection of these themes.
Early Life and Background
Frida Kahlo was born on 6th July 1907 in Coyoacán, then a small town on the outskirts of Mexico City. The daughter of Wilhelm Kahlo, a German photographer, and Matilde Calderón, of indigenous and Spanish descent, Frida grew up in a household that valued both European and Mexican heritage. This cultural duality would remain a constant influence in her work.
At the age of six, Kahlo contracted polio, which left her right leg thinner and caused a lifelong limp. Despite her physical limitations, Frida was a curious and intellectually active child. Her father, to whom she was deeply attached, encouraged her interests in photography, nature, and philosophy, enrolling her in the prestigious German School in Mexico City.
However, Kahlo's life was marked once again by tragedy in 1925, when she was involved in a bus accident that left her with severe injuries. Her spine, pelvis, ribs, and collarbone were fractured, and a handrail pierced her abdomen and uterus, affecting her ability to bear children. During her lengthy recovery, Frida began to paint, using a specially adapted easel that allowed her to work from her bed.
Artistic Beginnings and Relationship with Diego Rivera
It was during this period of convalescence that Kahlo developed her interest in self-portraiture. Using a mirror mounted above her bed, she began to explore her own image, which would eventually lead to the creation of some of the most famous self-portraits in art history.
In 1928, she met the muralist Diego Rivera, whose work she greatly admired. Despite the age difference and Rivera’s well-known romantic history, the two married in 1929. Their relationship was intense and tumultuous, marked by deep mutual admiration as well as numerous infidelities. Throughout their lives, Kahlo and Rivera’s art remained intertwined, influencing each other and reflecting their complex life together.
photo: Diego y Frida ©Hulton Archive/Getty Images
Mexican Identity and Artistic Style
As her artistic career flourished, Kahlo developed a style that combined elements of her indigenous heritage with influences from Mexican folk art. She adopted the traditional Tehuana dress, an Oaxacan outfit that would become one of her trademarks. This attire not only paid homage to her mother’s origins in the Isthmus of Tehuantepec but also served as an affirmation of her Mexican identity at a time when Mexico was redefining its national identity after the Mexican Revolution.
Her works, often laden with symbolism, reflect a deep sense of Mexicanidad. Kahlo incorporated pre-Hispanic, religious, and folkloric elements, creating a visual language that addressed themes such as death, pain, and motherhood, but also resilience and strength.
The Wounded Deer: A Symbolic Self-Portrait
In 1946, Frida Kahlo painted The Wounded Deer, a small yet deeply emotional work. In this painting, Kahlo portrays herself as a deer with her own face, pierced by nine arrows. The setting is a dark, desolate forest where the wounded deer lies on the ground, yet with a stoic and defiant expression on its face. This animalised self-portrait has been interpreted as a manifestation of the physical and emotional pain that the artist was experiencing at the time.
The painting was created after a failed spinal surgery that Kahlo had hoped would alleviate her constant physical pain. The image of the wounded deer has been linked to the figure of Saint Sebastian, a Christian martyr who was executed for his religious beliefs, which could symbolise Frida’s perception of her own suffering as a form of martyrdom.
Additionally, the inclusion of the word “karma” at the bottom of the painting suggests a deeper exploration of spirituality and destiny. Kahlo had developed an interest in Buddhism and other Eastern philosophies, reflected in the idea that her current pain could be a consequence of her actions in past lives. This focus on fate and the inevitability of suffering resonates throughout her work.
The symbolism in The Wounded Deer is further enriched by references to the Aztec calendar. Kahlo was born on the ninth day according to this calendar, a number associated with the earth and the underworld. This connection is reflected in the nine arrows that pierce the deer and the nine trees depicted in the painting. The combination of Aztec, Christian, and Buddhist elements in this work demonstrates Kahlo’s ability to fuse different worldviews and symbolisms into a single visual narrative.
Gender and Sexual Identity Themes
The Wounded Deer has also been analysed from a gender perspective. By painting herself with antlers, Kahlo might be exploring her gender identity and sexuality. It has been suggested that the androgynous figure of the deer reflects her bisexuality and her rejection of traditional gender conventions. Kahlo, both in her life and in her art, defied the gender norms of her time, adopting masculine traits in her dress and appearance, and maintaining romantic relationships with both men and women.
Legacy and Final Years
Despite her personal struggles, Kahlo continued to create until the end of her life. Her work gained recognition both in Mexico and abroad, although it was after her death that she became a global icon of art and feminism. Frida Kahlo passed away on 13th July 1954, at the Casa Azul in Coyoacán, which today is a museum dedicated to her life and work.
Her legacy transcends the realm of art. Kahlo is a symbol of resilience, strength, and authenticity. Her ability to transform her pain into art, to explore her identity through her work, and to challenge social norms, makes her one of the most influential artists of the 20th century.
The Wounded Deer remains one of her most poignant and complex paintings, a work that encapsulates the essence of her life and struggle. Through this painting, Kahlo not only invites us to contemplate her pain but also challenges us to reflect on the nature of human suffering and the mind’s capacity to endure it.
This article has explored the life and work of Frida Kahlo, focusing on the symbolism in The Wounded Deer. However, to fully appreciate the depth of her art, it is essential to consider her entire body of work as a testament to her life—a life marked by pain, yet also by an unyielding will to live and create.