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Photo Book Reviews

Frida Kahlo: Portraits of an Icon (Turner) by Margaret Hooks Reviewed by Tina Maas Article rating: 5.38

Although revered as an exceptional artist long before the movie, the recent interest in Frida the person as opposed to Frida the artist, owes a substantial part to the immense success of the movie about her life, which certainly increased her popularity and instigated this exceptional book of portraits of her.

Many of the over 100 pictures of Frida have never been published previously and the subtle beauty of the plates is astounding. Each of the old photography plates is a quality reproduction that preserves a great amount of detail using a special, tritone printing technique. The book includes portraits taken by famous photographers such as Imogen Cunningham and Edward Weston as well as pictures taken by family members, photojournalists and friends.

Frida's portraits illuminate her persona in chronological order beginning with early family pictures of her as a 4 year old, followed by images of her adolescence through to her married life and coming to a close with the last picture on her deathbed.

The photographs portray her as a sensitive, yet proud and gracious woman, hardly ever smiling but looking straight faced at the camera, often holding a cigarette, not revealing much about her inner world of struggles and turmoil, which she so adamantly expressed in her artwork.

The overwhelming majority of pictures are from the collection of Spencer Throckmorton, a renowned collector and specialist in Latin American photographs. Margaret Hooks is an expert on Latin American art and photography of the 20's and 30's. Having established a long career in the field as a writer, collector and appraised critic, she recently completed an award winning book on Frida's friend Tina Modotti and is a regular contributor to several magazines.

Instantly recognizable from her numerous self portraits, Frida Kahlo seems to hardly change over the unfolding years. She consistently wears her hair tied up, dresses predominantly in traditional Mexican clothes and is frequently portrayed in her home or leaning against a wall in a familiar Mexican setting.

The viewer can catch glimpses of her working on her paintings in the studio or visiting exhibitions. A more intimate side is revealed when she leisurely poses with one of her many curious pets including a deer, baby goat, monkey, dog, rabbit and a bird. Her husband Diego features infrequently and seems to appear more like a bytander. Possibly suggestive of their complex relationship, only in one photo do Frida and Diego show any emotions for each other.

In contrast to her self-revealing paintings, Frida has always worked hard on concealing as much of her person as she felt appropriate, carefully crafting an image of indifference and mysteriousness for herself. Nonetheless this book is a delight for anybody who appreciates the strenuous and challenging life of this extraordinary woman.

>>Click here to purchase Frida Kahlo: Portraits of an Icon from Amazon.com

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