At the end of the day...

At the end of the day, we can endure much more than we think we can.  Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954)

Frida Kahlo was an amazing artist. In her short life she created over 50 self-portraits and many other paintings. She often used imagery in her paintings and her drawings and her diaries to describe the pain she lived in every day. Here is a little about the pain she endured and a collection of what she said about her pain.

No one really knows if Frida had fibromyalgia or not but she did suffer from chronic pain.  

She contracted polio at age 6. This caused curvature of the spine. She was in a horrific tram accident at 17. Her leg was amputated. She had a history with many surgeries and miscarriages. She lived much of her life on pethidine which is an opioid pain-relief medicine. Many of her paintings starkly portray this pain. She expressed the emotional, psychological, and physical aspects of pain in many of her self-portraits and in her words as well. Read more about Frida and her pain journey in my other article about her.

Frida in her bedroom in the 1950's

In this post, I am sharing some of Frida Kahlo's pain-related quotes, from her diary, and also some of her artwork relating to pain. 

When talking about polio she said It all began with a horrible pain in my right leg from the muscle downward. 

The pain. The pain of heartbreak, the pain of sickness, the pain of betrayal. I take this pain, I express this pain, and I change it into something positive and beautiful. In these paintings, I am free of my suffering.

I never paint dreams or nightmares. I paint my own reality. 

This is how it feels to be in this broken female body. This is how it feels to be alone... This is how it feels to be me. I dare you to look...and once you look, I’m going to make sure you cannot look away.

They thought I was a Surrealist, but I wasn't. I never painted dreams. I painted my own reality.

Since my subjects have always been my sensations, my states of mind and the profound reactions that life has been producing in me, I have frequently objectified all this in figures of myself, which were the most sincere and real thing that I could do in order to express what I felt inside and outside of myself.

Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, was painted by Frida Kahlo in 1940.
Image from FridaKahlo.org  She uses the imagery of a thorn necklace which is cutting into her neck.

My painting carries with it the message of pain.

I must fight with all my strength so that the little positive things that my health allows me to do might be pointed toward helping the revolution. The only real reason for living.

Frida displaying one of her self-painted body casts.
She was often confined to bed after operations and painted her own casts.
This one shows the communist symbol and a foetus 

 "Espero Alegre la Salida – y Espero no Volver jamás– Frida" which translates to "I joyfully await the exit – and I hope never to return – Frida"

This last quote was written a few days before her death. Her death certificate states that she died from a pulmonary embolism. But this quote and other information makes many people think that it was from an overdose. 

This video below, from the Frida Kahlo organization, shows many of Frida Kahlo's paintings. Most of the 30 images are her self-portraits which graphically depict her pain. She uses medical images, swords, arrows, skeletons, blood, her body laying down and internal organs frequently to depict her own personal endurance through the pain and suffering of her life.  

  

Are you looking for more information on Frida Kahlo?

You can purchase a copy of Frida Kahlo's amazing diary which is full of her artworks and handwriting. It was written in the last 10 years of her life. Find out more about it here.

Pages from Frida's diary which you can purchase here.

If, like me, you love quotes, you can purchase Pocket Frida Kahlo Wisdom which is an inspiring collection of some of her best quotes on love, life, and art. 

You can also stay on this site and read more about her life at Did Frida have Fibro?

Do you have a personal collection with Frida Kahlo? do you love her art, have you been to an art show of hers or seen a painting of hers at the art gallery or do you collect things with her image or designs? I would love to know.

Did you know about her life of pain? before you read my short article on Frida did you know about her focus on pain?