For this project I selected Frida Kahlo's Self Portrait with a Necklace of Thorns (see above.) In this painting, Kahlo was mourning her divorce from fellow painter Diego Rivera. The necklace of thorns is her own representation of Christ's crown of thorns; she sees herself as a martyr and in a way she was. Rivera had numerous infidelities while married to Kahlo, which she accepted, asking that he just be loyal to her. However, when she discovered Rivera in the act with her sister, she demanded a divorce- he had broken her loyalty. The crow and the black cat are representative of bad luck and death, while the butterflies are representative of resurrection, a sort of "Frida will rise again" message. The monkey was actually a gift from Rivera to Frida.
I first posted the painting on my window, where you can see the trees without leaves. This I feel aligns with the meaning of the painting the most, very stereotypical of death, barrenness, etc. That and I felt it aligned with the natural visual elements of the piece.
Then I went into the elevator and posted the painting over the floor keys. I did this to contrast the visual parts of the painting with the cold metal of the elevator. In a way, the meaning of the painting is still captured. Kahlo is very cold, very emotionless and so is the elevator. Everything is just very mechanical.
Finally I went back to my room and dumped out my makeup bag over the painting. This time I was just playing with the idea of "lipstick jungle," sort of a play on the visual elements again. Women use all of this makeup to hide what's underneath and Kahlo's painting is so obviously what she really is feeling. Nothing is hiding, it's raw and in your face.
