Frida Kahlo
Tortured Soul
By Mrs. Romani and Mrs. Chen
The Two Fridas (Las dos Fridas), 1939
Oil on canvas; 67-11/16 x 67-11/16 inches
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http://i36.photobucket.com/albums/e10/wyndi_nichole/frida_kahlo.jpg
The Suicide of Dorothy Hale, 1939.
Oil on Masonite. 23 13/16 x 19 1/8 in.
The Feldman Method:
There are many philosophies on how to analyze and interpreting Art. Fortunately, Edmund
Feldman created a simple 4 step structure of the criticism of art consisting of description,
analysis, interpretation and judgment.
Description -

What is the Artist’s name? Title of the work? Date of the work? Medium or
materials used? What do you see in the picture?
What kind of subject matter is in the picture? Portrait or Landscape?



Analysis 
What is in the foreground, mid-ground, and background? What colors and
shapes are used and how have they been arranged? Are there any leading
lines, patterns, and if so, where is your eye lead, Is there any use of contrast?
if so where. Is there a sense of space or perspective. Are there any special
techniques employed by the artist?
Interpretation –


What story do you think is being told?
Judgment –


What do you like or dislike? How successful do you think the artist was?
Description



Animals, Insects, Bird
and Green Leaves
Self Portrait
Portrait (vertical)
Kahlo, Frida. Self Portrait with Thorn Necklace and
Hummingbird, 1940 [oil on canvas}.
Analysis
Background
Middle Ground
Foreground
•Triangle Arrangement
•Muted Color Palette
•Repeating Pattern in
Green Leaves
•Thorny Vine=Leading Line
•Overlapping of Objects
Shows Depth
Interpretation

This is a Self Portrait with a
Thorn necklace and
Hummingbird

Black bird contrasting against
white shirt

Two Animals and insects

A woman feeling helpless,
surrounded by pain and angst

Sympathetic, saddened.
Judgment

Likes {Translucency, Triangle
composition, Animal subject matter,
Contrast of organic leaves with
painful thorns, Interaction of
animals with the main subject}

Dislikes {Contrast of Yellowgreen leaf}

Successful {Tortured life
experiences conveyed clearly
through contrast}

Unsuccessful {none}
Bibliography
Zamora, Martha. Frida Kahlo the Brush of Anguish. San
Francisco: Chronicle Books, 1990.
Gowing, Sir Lawrence, General Editor. Facts on File
Biographical Encyclopedia of Artists. Volume 2. New
York: Facts on File, 2005.
“Biography”. FridaKahlo.com. FridaKahlo.com. 10
October 2008. <http://www.fridakahlo.com/>.