Frida Kahlo was a Mexican painter famous for her vivid and instantly recognisable self-portraits. She said,

“I paint self-portraits because I am so often alone, because I am the person I know best.”

When her studying in medicine prematurely ended following a bus accident, she took to painting during her slow recovery. Even through later periods in hospital she continued to paint.

She was described by Andre Breton as a self-taught surrealist, though Kahlo herself maintained that she painted reality rather than dreams.

Kahlo had a turbulent relationship with her husband, the painter Diego Rivera. Despite being outwardly chaotic, this couple shared an unconventional love, as illustrated in her written sketch of him for an exhibition catalogue — Frida Kahlo on How Love Amplifies Beauty: Her Breathtaking Tribute to Diego Rivera on The Marginalian.

Writing

In last week’s Journal, the prompt was for a self-portrait in words.

This week, try creating a portrait of someone else. It could be someone you know well, or not. Simply write what you see to sketch out your portrait in words. 

We’d love to see what you come up with, if you’d like to share.

Photo by engin akyurt on Unsplash