This week I got to explore some non traditional art pieces that I found interesting and that caught my eye. I wanted to stay away from what is familiar and explore other cultures artist and artwork. I choose three different art pieces by artists of Mexico, West Africa and Iraq.
Frida Kahlo was an artist from Coyocan, Mexico who is well known for her mesmerizing self-portraits. Although she never achieved fame during her life, her portraits are well known and celebrated to this day.
Below is an oil on canvas painting by Frida Kahlo entitled, "The Two Fridas" painted in 1939.
This painting was created shortly after her divorce with her partner Diego Rivera. It depicts two Frida's, one in which she is dressed traditionally and one in which she dressed modernly. These represented different sides of her personality. Both have their heart exposed, but the traditionally dressed Frida's heart is cut open and you can see that she holds the pinchers in her hand as well as the blood dripping onto her attire.
I really enjoy this painting because it feels so raw and unashamed. The Frida's glare directly at you with their hearts on display. The unibrow and slight mustache is not covered or altered to fit the standards of beauty, and the modern Frida sits unabashed with her legs opened. There is no drawing in at the waist or painting herself in a different more flattering angle. She is portraying herself fully.
Though they do not show emotion in the face, the clouds in the background set an agitated and dreary scene that may have reflected Frida's grief and mixed emotions. They also hold hands, and are connected at the heart, this may symbolize that they both are a part of her.
This sculpture is 8 feet tall and highlights the issue of waste in countries in which there is a very limited capacity for recycling. The aluminum plates were previously used to print obituaries, subtly making a statement on the disposable nature of human life. Many other tragedies and stories of crime and corruption fill the plates in which this sculpture is made.
I enjoy this sculpture because of the message behind it, and the fact that he was able to manipulate aluminum to look as if it is fluid and pliable. If you look closely you can see this bag that is slightly crinkled as it is placed on the ground.
Also there are parts of this sculpture that look similar to African masks, for instance, directly in the center you can make out the eye sockets, nose and downturned mouth. On the left hand side kind of in the middle and closer to the top, I see what looks to be a head connected to a neck and a small body. The head is tilted slightly to the side.
There are many ways to dissect this sculpture and I enjoy that everyone has a different experience or may see different things in it.
Lastly is an oil on linen painting done by Hayv Kahraman in 2009 entitled "Folding Sheet."
Hayv Kahraman is an artist originally from Bagdad, and settled in Arizona in 2006. This piece is a part of a series called Marionettes which explores the war in the Middle East and the oppression of women.
I was automatically drawn to the graceful movement of the women in this painting. It almost looks to me that they are dancing and holding this cloth together at the same time. The hair is dark and long and the face pale in stark contrast.
Strings attach to different parts of the women's body, symbolizing the enslavement that women are subjected to. The women continue on doing their housework, and it seems that the strings do not bother them. They have accepted their fate or have learned to live with it. The strings help to bring this painting into 3D.
I love mix of traditional attire and more or a modern cut and style. It's as if she is saying that it is okay to practice or believe in some parts of your culture and reject others.
Due to the movement and the strings, your eye is kind of drawn around in a loop, without resting in one particular place. The women are placed so that they are both in the center of this painting. I wonder what the red mark is on the left hand top of the painting, I did some research and was not able to find anything explaining that mark.
References
https://africa.si.edu/exhibits/gawu/artworks.html
https://www.fridakahlo.org/the-two-fridas.jsp
https://hayvkahraman.com/project/marionettes-2009/
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