art

The other day, I looked at my library's New Junior High Books shelf for poetry books and noticed everything on-shelf was based on historical figures or events! An interesting trend. The younger set gets kitties, doggies, and dragons. The older kids get Birmingham, 1963, The Brothers' War: Civil War Voices in Verse, and Frida: ¡Viva la Vida! = Long Live Life!

Which is, it turns out, a really lovely book. Carmen T. Bernier-Grand draws on Frida Kahlo's life story and highly autobiographical paintings to give a personal, poetic voice to Kahlo's timultuous life. Kahlo told her story through her art, over and over, but the symbolism is lost on the average spectator. Bernier-Grand selects details from the paintings--which are printed along-side the poems--to elucidate, putting them in the context of Kahlo's strained family life, life-altering bus accident, rocky marriage with muralist, Diego Rivera, and burgeoning career as a painter.

In my college Intro to Psychology class, I wrote a term paper about artists Frida Kahlo's, Vincent Van Gogh's, and Egon Schiele's concentration on self-portraiture. I'm sure it was terrible. As I recall, the literature I found had very Freudian explanations for this. In Kahlo's case, Bernier-Grand puts forth a much simpler explanation: because Kahlo was so-often bed-ridden, her self was a natural subject for painting. All she needed was a mirror.

I'm not a huge reader of poetry to judge, but to me the verse by itself seems competent but not stick-in-your-brain-and-heart. However, between the poems, the paintings, and the biographical sketch and timeline in the end notes, Frida: ¡Viva la Vida! = Long Live Life! could nearly stand on its own as a "biography book" for junior high readers. As it is, it's a handsome, well-researched introduction to a fascinating and sympathetic figure from 20th century art history.

Meanwhile, in the online world, PBS has a spectacular online exhibit on Kahlo's life and work, including interviews and educational guides. The site was put together in conjuction with the airing of Amy Stechler's film The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo. Definitely worth checking out!

This week's Poetry Friday round-up is hosted by Sarah Reinhard at Just Another Day of Catholic Pondering. Go take a gander!

Bringing a smile to my face this morning was this clip from Creature Comforts USA. I love Aardman Animations, and this "man on the street" montage of animals/people discussing the meaning of art is especially funny and clever. I'd start listing highlights, but the list would be far too long; better just to watch it! (Via ShelfTalker.)