Frida Kahlo: Painting through Chronic Pain and PTSD

 I was excited to learn more about Frida Kahlo this year at the Creativity and Madness conference, I have been drawn to her self portraits since becoming a regular visitor to Santa Fe.  Ms. Tanya Radic, RN had some terrific slides some of which I could not locate for this post, but I will do my best to represent contextual information about this remarkable painter.

"My painting carries with it the message of pain." Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo was one of the most famous Mexican artists. She is remembered as a prolific painter, political activist, outspoken feminist, and strong personality.  Her paintings have bright cultural colors, and intense subject matter.  Although she did not consider herself a surrealist painter, her work has been praised within that genre.

The early years:  Frida Kahlo's was born in Mexico City, Mexico  (1906) in a house built by her father called Casa Azul (the Blue House).  Her early childhood was impacted by the Mexican revolution, so much so, that Frida sometimes changed her birth date to further associate with the beginning of the war. Her mother reportedly fed soldiers who jumped over the stone wall surrounding the house, before they returned for battle in the streets.  Kahlo suffered from polio at age 6, which disfigured her right leg and confined her for nine months of recovery. She was a bright student who had dreams of becoming a doctor and was one of very few females accepted into an exclusive preparatory school.

"I am not sick.  I am broken. I am happy as long as I can paint."

Post Traumatic Stress: Life changed instantly for Frida at age 18 when she was riding a bus that was hit by a trolly train.  Many people were killed in the accident and Frida was not expected to live.  Her injuries were the cause of chronic pain, multiple surgeries, and many miscarriages throughout her life.  While recovering for months in the hospital Frida began to paint with watercolors her father brought her during one of his visits. 

 

The shift from pain to painting was significant in the emotional healing of Frida Kahlo.  Her work is graphic and provokes an emotional response.  Of her 145 known paintings, 54 are self portraits.  It would seem she was perpetually trying to understand herself in relation to her physical and emotional injuries.

When she returned to the preparatory school following her accident she met Diego Rivera, 20 years older than Frida, who was already a famous muralist. Their friendship turned into a difficult marriage marked with infidelity, separation, divorce, and remarriage to each other. Their relationship was the inspiration of many paintings throughout their marriage. As a couple they were active in the communist party, and famous for their art during their lifetime.

As a psychologist I admire Kahlo's courage in sharing her emotional experience so openly with others.  By translating her pain into paint, Kahlo made a bold move from victim (of polio, war, train wreck, infidelities) to survivor.  She invites us to understand the triumph of the human spirit over tragedy through her deeply personal story. 

 

“I used to think I was the strangest person in the world but then I thought there are so many people in the world, there must be someone just like me who feels bizarre and flawed in the same ways I do. I would imagine her, and imagine that she must be out there thinking of me too. Well, I hope that if you are out there and read this and know that, yes, it's true I'm here, and I'm just as strange as you.”

― Frida Kahlo

 

 

Kahlo died in Casa Azul at age 47 from surgical complications following the partial amputation of her leg.  In 1958 Casa Azul became a museum filled with her original artwork and artifacts of her life.

 

Where to read more:

• A Biography of Frida Kahlo (1983)  Hayden Herrera
• Frida (2002) a film starring Salma Hayek nominated for six Academy Awards and won for Best Makeup and Original Score.
• The Lacuna (2009) Barbara Kingsolver
• Frida Kahlo biography

 

 

Rachmaninoff Reprised

 

 

 

Our virtual tour of the Creativity and Madness Conference will begin with the presentation of Dr. Richard Kogan, psychiatrist and concert pianist.  Dr. Kogan is masterful in his biographies of composers. He speaks entirely from memory and then rushes to the piano to flawlessly perform a portion of work that illustrates his point about the composer. I have never experienced anything like Dr. Kogan's presentations.

 

This year Dr. Kogan highlighted the work of Sergei Rachmaninoff.  Disclaimer: This post is from my notes, any mistakes/errors in the biography are my own.  I am admittedly starstruck with Dr. Kogan, and may wander off in my note taking . . . 

 

Sergei Rachmaninoff (1873-1943)

 

Sergei Rachmaninoff was born in Russia to an aristocratic family although his father was irresponsible financially, and the money didn't last long.  His grandmother was a very religious Russian orthodox and had a strong influence on Sergei's growing up years, taking him to daily mass after his father abandoned the family.

 

His parents did not find anything remarkable about Sergei during his childhood, he would often refuse to practice the piano and they considered him lazy.  When he was caught forging his grades at 12 years old he was sent to the equivalent of "Pianist Boot camp." Once there Sergei demonstrated an ability to compose music but he eventually had to leave the school because of a conflict with the headmaster.

 

Sergei then went to the Moscow Conservatory where he met and was mentored by Tchaikovsky.  This was a key relationship in Rachmaninoff's life and Tchaikovsky quickly recognized something special in his student.  By 19 Sergei was "world famous" and was paid $20 for his Prelude in C sharp Minor.  He reported having heard the composition form in its entirety inside of his head and was quoted as saying "it had to be so there it was." If you listen carefully to this piece you will hear the church bells tolling as a nod to his grandmother.

Tchaikovsky died suddenly and his death had a profound effect on young Sergei.  He wrote Trio élégiaque No. 2  to express his sorrow for his friend and mentor and it received terrible reviews.  Sergei suffered from major depression for three years and was completely blocked in his composing which led him to seek counseling from a hypnotherapist named Dr. Dahl. 

 

Dr. Dahl was also a skilled violaist.  His treatment plan for Rachmaninoff was:

1. Sleep through the night.
2. Improve his daytime mood.
3. Reawaken his desire to compose.
4. Improve his eating.

Dahl's posthypnotic suggestion was that Sergei would begin to compose with great facility and it would be of excellent quality.

 

Sergei began composing again and ended treatment in 1900.  His Piano Concerto Number 2 in C Minor was written during this productive time.  Typically the violins introduce the melody to the symphony but in this work it is the violas that bring the melody.  He dedicated this piece to Dr. Dahl.

 

Sergei Rachmaninoff  battled depression on and off for the rest of his life and openly acknowledged his mental illness. He is quoted as saying "My mental sickness sits in me so firmly . . . the pain only stops when I am playing . . . "

 

As a grown man, Sergei was 6'6" and may have had a pituitary disorder (like Abraham Lincoln) which could account for his hand size and expansive finger span.  His compositions are challenging for even the most skilled pianists.  He was reported to be a "meticulous pianist" known for his craftsmanship- a far cry from his early "lazy years."

 

Rachmaninoff was successful in his marriage and had a good relationship with his children.  He died of melanoma in 1943 and his last words were reportedly "Farewell my poor hands."

 

Dr. Kogan recommended these biographies for more information:

 

Rachmaninoff: Life, Works, Recordings by Max Harrison (2006)

Rachmaninoff by Michael Scott (2008)

 

We are all eagerly anticipating 2014 Creativity and Madness with Dr. Kogan, I wonder who we will study next?!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 



The Places You'll Go

Launching our soon to be graduate student into her first "real" apartment in a "real" city has regretfully interrupted my blog posting about Santa Fe.  To fill the silence this week please accept my apologies and pictures that are worth approximately 1,000 words.

It has been an incredible journey, this raising a child to adulthood thing.
 

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

Youre off and away!

You have brains in your head

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself

any direction you choose.



 Your on your own. And you know what you know.

And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 3/4 percent gaurenteed.)

KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!"

Dr. Seuss, Oh The Places You'll Go!

 

Don't forget to call home sometimes.



 

 

Ode to Creativity and Madness

 

The Worrell Gallery

After a week in beautiful Santa Fe at the Creativity and Madness Conference, I am renewed in my commitment to promote mental health/ wellness, and fight the stigma of mental illness.

I am also refreshed.  It is an inspiring place and an incredible conference. I wish you could've come with me, but maybe this month we can virtually travel together.

Take a deep breath and smell the fresh sage, the mountain air.

What do composer Sergei Rachmaninoff, artist Frida Kahlo, native american leader Crazy Horse, and entrepeneur Steve Jobs all have in common? Each were creative, outstanding in their life work, and had a diagnosible mental illness. 

Out of the all of the artistis that we studied this past week, only one- Rachmaninoff- sought treatment for symptoms of mental illness. His treatment was brief and successful in removing his writer's block, but social stigma discouraged him from continuing his therapy once his creativity returned.  Racmaninoff''s depression was debilitating. 

Our society has come a long way in the effectiveness of treatment and recognizing the value of intervention, but we have a long way to go. 

Historically, learning disabilities were considered a sign of ignorance and certain students were deemed"unteachable." Traditionally unsuccessful students Albert Einstein and Thomas Edison to name a few, inspired attention and research to assist unconventional learners.  Looking at the least restrictive environment model, many gifted, learning disabled, and gifted/LD students are now thriving with modified styles of teaching. 

This conference reminds me of the greatness that is possible within unconventional thinkers, who have needs that are often ignored. 

This month I will share insight and information from the conference. I hope you will share my enthusiasm for creativity, wellness, and appreciation of mental illness as a diversity in our culture.