This is Frida on Fire By Tina Calderin….. When studying about Frida, I discovered that when she died she wanted to be cremated. So the story goes that when she was put into the crematorium the doors exploded open and Frida was in a sitting position with her hair on fire and a seductive look on her face. In her life she made an impact with her art. In death she left another image in the mind’s eye that will allow her to never be forgotten. Her Mexican culture and Amerinindian cultural tradition was shown throughout her work as symbolism. It was sometimes characterized Naïve art or folk art.

This inspired Frida on Fire. As in her art, I have added the symbolism of the native Mexican culture. The fire represents her death and the agony of the pain she endured in her life. Around her neck is a choker of the sun and sky and attached to it thorns that always seemed to be poking and stabbing into her flesh. At the end of this necklace is a wilted butterfly also representing the life and death. Whispering in her ear is her beloved pet monkey. Frida could not have children. Her monkey was her child, what he whispers to her only she knows.

Diego was the love of her life but he was a philanderer and his lack of love and respect for her was evident in her life. She suffered from the pain of loving another and not being loved in return.

The humming bird represents love and below is her open heart as he drops the nectar (the blood) to feed her wounded and open heart.