DALLAS - Why did Frida Kahlo paint? It almost feels impertinent to ask. The more polite approach, I suppose, would be to focus on the significance of what she painted. But in Kahlo’s case, the “why,” for all its presumption, feels important.
Attempting to answer it may not yield any certainties. However, Kahlo painted herself and episodes from her life so often and with such intense emotion that it seems certain she wanted people to wonder what motivated her. “Frida: Beyond the Myth,” a compelling exhibit at the Dallas Museum of Art, follows the recent trend of focusing less on Kahlo’s works and more on her biography and the persona she cultivated.
The title implies not only that Kahlo was a mythmaker, which she undoubtedly was, but also that since myths are widely held yet false beliefs, we should try to get beyond them. The impulse is sound. But it might be equally interesting to ask why Kahlo (1907-1954) was so eager to create a myth about herself in the first place.
The exhibit’s biographical focus is partly out of necessity. Borrowing Kahlo’s works in large quantities has become nearly impossible. Kahlo is now among the likes of Yayoi Kusama, Andy Warhol and Banksy as a prime example of the modern idea of creativity as conscious self-fashioning.
Yet, she is closer in spirit and quality to Van Gogh, Francis Bacon and Cindy Sherman. Her works are in high demand. While they may be small, the cost of moving them is significant, and lenders are increasingly re.