Diego on my Mind Print

Diego on my Mind (1943) by Frida Kahlo

Diego on my Mind is a double-portrait emblematic of Kahlo’s gravitation toward personal motifs and self-portraiture. The central subject of the work is Kahlo herself, dressed in a traditional headdress from Tehuantepec, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. This choice of garment, whose colorful patterned folds are accented by an intricate floral crown, reflects Kahlo’s embrace of Mexicanidad – her pride for her Mexican cultural and visual heritage. On Kahlo’s forehead a second portrait of her tumultuous and volatile lover, Diego Rivera, literalizes the titular expression “Diego on my Mind.” Painted after the couple’s rekindling of their marriage following a divorce within the same year in 1940, this work is a compelling statement of love and perhaps infatuation.

Dimensions

• 11" x 14"