The Art in STEAM Learning: Frida Kahlo Paves the Way for Modern Women Artists
When we think of STEAM education, it describes STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) plus the Arts, which includes humanities, language arts, dance, drama, music, visual arts, design, and new media. This addition opens the field up to people who may have otherwise been considered too “creative” to pursue a career in STEM. Visual arts are a very exciting part of STEAM and women have played a pivotal role as artists since ancient times. They have been celebrated for creating devotional paintings of gods and goddesses to extensive art installations.
Who are your favorite female artists? What makes them unique in your eyes and worthy of your attention?
If you're searching for a woman artist to take inspiration from, you've come to the right place. We’ve explored the backgrounds of one of the most well-known pioneers in the art field as well as other women who have made significant contributions to the industry.
Frida Kahlo
Frida Kahlo is one of the most famous Mexican surrealist painters. She defied the odds despite having a disability and several medical conditions that plagued her throughout her life. Themes portraying identity, the human body, and death are conveyed in some of her most well-known works.
Despite her artistic talents, Frida’s life was filled with challenges. In 1925, Frida endured a near-fatal injury from a bus accident that left her with a broken leg and a fractured spine. While she was bedridden, recovering for months, she relied on an easel, canvas, paint, and brushes to keep her company. Frida began painting various subjects like still images and self-portraits. This time to hone her skills became the silver lining of her accident. Frida’s realistic paintings of herself catapulted her to fame. Her husband, Mexican surrealist artist Diego Rivera considered her to be a revolutionary artist.
Frida Kahlo passed away twenty-nine years after her accident at the age of 47. Following her death, her artwork gained more recognition due to the feminist movement in Mexico. Today Frida’s artwork is well respected around the world.
Frida’s Final Painting
The last painting of Frida Kahlo features vibrantly painted watermelons. The words written in the center of a watermelon slice translate to ‘long live life,’ a finishing touch she added eight days before she died. Frida Kahlo portrayed her short years of life through the hard and soft flesh of watermelons. The hard shell depicts her troubled marriage and the physical pain she endured. The soft flesh shows the remarkable, vibrant, and sweet life she lived.
Modern Day Women Artists
Frida Kahlo inspires women. Today, many women admire her because of her bold and brave interpretations of herself and her life experiences. Jenny Saville, Maria Fragoso, and Nadia Waheed are a few artists who are making their mark.
Jenny Saville
Photo Credit National Portrait Gallery
Jenny Saville is a famous British contemporary painter. She is known for painting self-portraits and interpretations of the female body. She integrates figuration and abstraction, creating unidealized appearances of the human body.
At the age of eight, Jenny became interested in painting. Her parents supported her passion and converted the broom closet into her studio. Paul Saville, her uncle, who was also an artist, influenced her love for art and encouraged her to pursue an art degree. Inspired by big white women in shorts and T-shirts, Jenny created artwork that garnered her success.
Like Frida Kahlo, Jenny also gets her inspiration from her personal experiences. Both focus on gender and self as central elements of their artwork, illustrating the experiences and expectations of being a woman.
Jenny's paintings depict female bodies' vulnerability, realness, and flaws. She used her art sought to contest the notions of female beauty standards, like how Frida features her unibrow and faint mustache in her self-portraits. Both of these artists defied the need to depict women based on the beauty ideals of society.
María Fragoso
Photo Credit Plus Magazine
Maria Fragoso is a Mexican surrealist, like Frida Kahlo whose art depicts Mexican culture. Her work tackles issues of gender expression and queer identity. Her vibrant paintings display intimate moments where the subject stares back at the observer. As the viewer, you may have the impression that the paintings are looking at you.
Maria began drawing at the age of two. By the age of 25, she started featuring her work at a considerable number of shows at reputable institutions including the Thierry Goldberg Gallery. Based on her achievements and art style, it is no wonder why people call her the modern-day Frida Kahlo.
She shares her inspiration from Frida in her work that portrays the interior and exterior reversal of the body. Hearts appear on the outside to interpret life, death, and fertility. She also embraces the connection of color to the cycle of life and incorporates the color red to invoke intense emotions to enhance the surrealist experience.
Maria is also a muralist who spreads messages of social togetherness and self-expression. Most of her work incorporates a transfigured world, fusing realism with the ethereal.
Nadia Waheed
Nadia Waheed is a Pakistani-American painter. She is well-known for her massive-scaled contemporary acrylic painting. Most of her work reflects who she is in the present moment and her artwork represents a liberation of her soul and spirit.
Photo Credit Artist Decoded
Before settling in Austin, Nadia lived in France, Egypt, and Pakistan. Through these diverse experiences, she took inspiration from various cultures and incorporated them into her artwork. Given her travels around the world, she continues to determine how to reflect on how to include these international aspects in her work.
Most of her artwork features different figures of women. Some versions represent herself, while others depict the many identities of women from around the world. Her paintings have themes revolving around womanhood, cultural trauma, and selfhood. For Nadia, painting female figures is a form of women empowerment in Western cultures. She also sees it as a disruption of gender and cultural issues.
Several inspiring women have made significant contributions to art history, and one of them is Frida Kahlo. Despite a life filled with setbacks, Frida continued to prosper in her art career until her death. Unconventional, expressive, and courageous. These are a few of the characteristics that made her gain iconic status.
Today, Jenny Saville, María Fragoso, and Nadia Waheed continue to carry the legacy of Frida Khalo. All three encourage self-expression and women empowerment while challenging and breaking traditional gender identities and roles.