From left to right: Franco De Simone, Frida With Bonita & Fulang-Chang and Frida both Giclée print on canvas, 20″ x 24″; Portrait with Monkey, Giclée print mounted on woden panel, 18″ x 24″; Necklace of Thorns, Giclée print on canvas mounted on woden panel, 24″ x 30″.
Frida Kahlo is one of the most notable artists of the twentieth century, with her iconic self-portraits and highly-symbolic works being recognized worldwide. Her works range from the deceptively simple to the eerily intricate, offering her critique on a wide variety of issues. In Mexico, she is praised for her proliferation and celebration of a distinct national identity emphasized through European-indigenous heritage. Her works combine contemporaneous European art styles, particularly those of the Realists, Symbolists and Surrealists, with aesthetic influences of the Mexican Aboriginals that stress vibrant colors and simplified figures.
Franco De Simone, Love of country, Giclée print on canvas, 38″ x 25″
Feminists acknowledge Kahlo’s uncompromising attitude towards sexuality and feminine experiences as an inspiration for the movement. Her tumultuous and stubborn marriage to famed muralist Diego Rivera, which was filled with promiscuous affairs on both sides, further demonstrated the fortitude and passion that often characterized her and her works. Moreover, she was a staunch Marxist, believing that Communism could remedy the vast inequality and exploitation that plagued Mexican society. Both her and her husband were strong advocates, incorporating Communist symbols and depictions of Marx and Lenin in their pieces; they even offered Leon Trotsky and his wife asylum during their exile from Russia. She was both admirable and notorious for her controversial views of identity, some as aforementioned celebrating her fearlessness and others attacking her rebelliousness. However, it is precisely this conflictual perception and her equally conflictual themes that elevate Kahlo’s work to global recognition.
Franco De Simone, Frida with parrots, Giclée print mounted on woden panel, 24″ x 32″
Franco De Simone’s collection uses modern photography and modelling to recreate the intensity and passion resounding from Kahlo’s works. Similar to his homage to Caravaggio, De Simone photographs live models and combines it with photo-editing and photo-manipulative techniques in order to mimic Kahlo’s colorful, painterly style. As a result, the works become almost realized. Photography is often considered the indisputable measure of realism, perfectly capturing the subject as it truly is. Therefore, the mesmerizing, often dreamlike works of Kahlo are made believable. Simultaneously, through the use of giclee print on canvas, Simone then takes these photographic representations and applies them back to the medium they were originally drawn from.
Franco De Simone, Belladonna, Giclée print on canvas, 22″ x 32″
As one looks at the pieces, the meticulous work behind the artworks becomes increasingly evident. Every detail in these prints faithfully mirrors its original. For example, “The Two Frida’s” – based on one of Kahlo’s most recognizable works that explicitly shows the tension between her European and Aboriginal heritage – expertly uses parts from multiple photographic sources to match the original work almost exactly, from the positioning of the two models to the intensity of the gaze to the arrangement of the blood spatter on the gown. Thus the works successfully embody both the depiction and the emotional resonance of Kahlo. The culmination of all of her works, which approach themes of personal identity, nationalism, femininity, and political discourse, can be seen here as a sort of visual biography.
Franco De Simone, The Two Frida’s, Giclée print on canvas, 38″ x 38″
Franco De Simone’s Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Life is a faithful reimagining of the complex yet interesting life of the famed Mexican artist. It is an homage to Kahlo’s unique aesthetics and thematic diversity which, when viewed concurrently, serves as the artistic depiction of her history and experiences.
Text and photo: Simon Termine
*Exhibition information: July 7 – September 6, 2016, Joseph D. Carrier Art Gallery at Columbus Centre, 901 Lawrence Avenue West, Toronto. Gallery hours: Mon – Fri 10 am – 5:30 pm.