My grandparents, my parents, and I, is painting by Frida Kahlo, a Mexican, self-taught painter. Kahlo was a child of an interracial marriage; her mother being Mexican and her father Jewish-German. She was a painter who represented surrealism and magic realism. Kahlo was best known for her self-portraits and her unique style. Inspired by her Mexican heritage, she was very interested in race, gender and class in the Mexican community. Even though her work was usually overshadowed by her husband’s art, Andre Breton (who was at the time considered the founder of Surrealism), became really interested in her work and helped her open her first solo exhibition.
My Grandparents, My Parents, and I (Family Tree) was painted by Kahlo in 1936. It is an oil and tempera painting made on zinc since Kahlo was a collector of Mexican retablos. She created this painting as a response to the Nuremburg Laws that were against interracial marriages. Kahlo portrayed herself as the little girl in the bottom of the painting and also the fetus inside her mother’s womb. As the little girl, she is holding the red ribbon which represents the bloodline of her family tree. On the left side we can see her mother and her maternal grandparents standing on the top of the Mexican landscape, while on the right side we see her father and her paternal grandparents standing on top of the water. The water below the right corner represents her European heritage because her grandparents were Jewish-German. Below her parents, Kahlo is standing in Casa Azul, the house in which she was born.
This painting is part of Modernism, because it is an amazing representation of surrealism. Surrealism was developed by Andre Breton who was deeply interested in Kahlo’s art. Its views are mainly political, based strongly in the feelings of each and every artist. Surrealism explored in depth what was considered as illogical, raising questions about the concept of the word “real”. In Kahlo’s painting My Grandparents, My Parents, and I, we can clearly see and comprehend all her surreal details starting from her political inspiration to surreal photographic expression. Her painting is not only surreal, but it also leaves a taste of magic and surprise inside (both parts of surrealism).
I have been a huge fan of Kahlo’s work since I discovered her art in middle school. When I went to the museum, even though I took a close look to all the interesting paintings of Modernism, I knew exactly which one I wanted to photograph. Seeing the painting live for the first time, it gave me the feeling of family, unity and greatness. Knowing the story behind it, it was amazing to see how sharp and beautiful her family’s faces were. It made me understand better where she got her strong, amazing personality from.
There are a lot of questions that I would consider asking about the painting, but one stayed on my mind throughout the day. In the painting, Kahlo positioned herself right below her father, separating herself from her mother. Was that placement intentional? Did that mean that she was closer to her father?