The Two Fridas

If the title didn't give away "The Two Fridas", I would've easily assumed it to be an illustration of a Forbidden-love. A lady in a white Victorian dress, hand-in-hand with another lady in Tehuana dress. Hearts explicitly ripped by a forceps and connected.

But "The Two Fridas" are Frida herself. Her diary states her recollecting one of it as her imaginary childhood friend.

As this was painted between the divorce and reconcilation of her marriage with Mexican Artist Diego Rivera, this painting is also widely understood as her grieving piece. There also is an interpretation where the traditional Mexican Frida is the lady, Diego fell in love with, and the Europian Frida is the lady rejected by him. And to support this interpretation the lady in white has a forceps wounding her open heart ripped out of her dress and the traditional mexican woman carries a small portrait of Diego. Either way the intense grey skies in the background suggests the disparity she was going through.

And yet the two Fridas hold hands and comfort each other. And the character arc of a growing woman is portrayed. Things, habits and lifestyle she has embraced is reflected. This painting is a self-reflection by Frida.