The Two Fridas

Created in 1939, this painting is marked by a traumatic event from Frida's life. That is the year when she
divorced Diego Rivera, after which she left Detroit and return to Mexico. In this double self-portrait, as
the name suggests, two Frida are represented. Of the same character, but in a different costume and
with different symbols. These two women are connected by the blood that unites their hearts, which
lets us know that no matter how many opposites there are, those opposites, even irreconcilable, are
both parts of her essence.
Frida on the left, shown in a white Victorian dress, represents a Europeanized woman, the one that
Diego rejects and therefore lacks a part of her heart. This Frida holds an artery in her hand, which she
cut with surgical scissors, that is why her white dress is stained with blood. It should be considered that
the painter, whose childhood, and youth were filled with accidents, doctors, and hospitals (she had a
total of thirty-two surgeries) knew very well both the anatomy of the body and the medical instruments
that will appear in her from time to time. The Europeanized Frida holds the hand of her "sister", a
woman of the same character, who is dressed in a traditional Mexican dress whose heart, although
naked, is still whole. With it, the painter presents her other identity, a traditional woman, with roots and
heart tied to the soil from which she comes and whose folklore, costumes, flora, and fauna will leave a
big mark on her art. Mexican Frida holds a medallion in her hand, which depicts a portrait of Diego
Rivera when he was a child.