The painting that stood out to me the most from Painting and Sculpture I. The first thing that caught my attention was that it was a two-piece painting titled Fulang-Chang and I (1937- mirror with painted frame after 1939). The first one was of Frida with a monkey and the second piece was a mirror. The mirror element caught me off guard in a pleasant way. To me the mirror served as an interactive piece of artwork. Seeing myself reflected back next to the painting of Frida herself – it made me feel important and part of her artwork. It was as if she had made the painting specifically for me. Interestingly enough the summary of this painting was that Frida gave this two-piece to a close friend after it was exhibited so that “the two friends could be together.”

I also liked this painting because of what Frida decided to paint: herself with a monkey. At first glance I thought she must have decided to paint the monkey with her because the animal was a dear pet and meant something to her. However, upon reading the summary, it said that many interpreted the monkey as a surrogate for children since she could not conceive. The painting meant much more to me after that. Infertility frightens me and the fact that she had a pet monkey as a child replacement saddened me. The reason I find her, in a way, inspirational is because of how tough she was beside all her obstacles and how much she stood her ground. Frida overall is an inspirational, and driven woman. Seeing myself in the mirror next to her made me feel the same.