El Columna Rota by Frida Kahlo

                     Frida Kahlo's heavily dark and depressing life played a pivotal role in her pieces. In "La Columna Rota" which stands for broken column was greatly influenced by the tragic accident that Kahlo endured. When she was eighteen years old, Kahlo suffered from a severe spinal injury that would leave her with chronic pain for the rest of her life. Outside of the emotional suffering Kahlo endured in other aspects of her life such as her abusive husband and miscarriage, Kahlo was simultaneously

suffering from an immense amount of physical pain. Kahlo produced this painting in 1944 while she was forced to wear a metal brace for five months. She described the experience as "punishment". She also Kahlo also suffered from polio which intensified her already profoundly severe amount of pain. includes aspect of her turbulent relationship with Diego Riviera. During the time of this painting, Kahlo's relationship was undergoing constant arguing and infidelity. Their relationship was founded on an abundance of lies however Kahlo's outlet of honesty was through her paintings.

                     Frida Kahlo used this piece to express the deep-seeded pain that existed in her constantly. In the painting, Kahlo has removed the skin and revealed her broken spine to emphasis her physical disability. She has also placed small nails all over her body to portray the holistic feeling of pain that traveled through her whole body. She paints subtle tears in her eyes to show the internal battle she is fighting. The painting also includes a desolate background to intensify the way her pain has isolated her from others. With a closer look, a larger nail in her heart can be seen. This nail served to represent the emotional pain she underwent in her tumultuous relationship with fellow artist, Diego Riviera. A central theme that Kahlo attempted to convey was how we must laugh through our sorrows. She spoke to a fellow artist who was concerned by the message of the piece and said that if one were to look closely into her eyes they would see peace. She felt it important to savor the better moments of life because that is what kept her from drowning in her own life's tragedies. She heavily emphasized the notion of "if you don't laugh, you'll cry".  Another theme displayed in this work, outside of her

physical ailments, was the emotional suffering of women in abusive relationships. She uses the nail to show the lasting pain Diego has left her with. She also specifically draws herself without any animals or objects to place emphasis on the isolation she felt from him. The domestic oppression of women was a prevalent during this time and Frida expresses that with the small detail of this piece.

                           This painting is beautiful because it shows the relationship between beauty and suffering. Frida Kahlo has a life that lacked beauty and happiness however she was still able to create something so beautiful. Her use of art to communicate her feelings was impeccable. The creative way she chose display her pain was thought provoking and moving. Her ability to convey the vast amount of emptions she felt required extreme precision and articulation. She painted from the most personal parts of her soul and she was not afraid to reveal the pain she was enduring. I think that gave a strong sense of bravery and power to a woman who should have been broken by her tragic life. She had an

incredible talent for conveying emotion that made her work memorable and touching. She also had very dark and depressing themes that were relatable to people out there struggling. Her use of art as an outlet for these pains was almost generous. She used her sorrows and sufferings to create beautiful things for her audience as well as serving as a sort of therapy for herself. She didn’t have a great life, but she had great paintings. They were unique, personal, and raw.