The Diary of Frida Kahlo: An Intimate Self-Portrait |
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Pages: 296 (Hardcover) ISBN: 0810959542 Pub: Harry N. Abrams, Inc. Pub date: 2006-03-31 Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 27477 |
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Editorial Review:
Frida Kahlo, one of the most dynamic figures of 20th-century art, has very nearly become a saint, so legendary is her tumultuous and tragic life. While there is no dearth of books about Kahlo and her work, none are as poignantly revealing as this diary, which includes her own words and pictures. We find the genesis of some of her most famous paintings, her love letters and sketches of people she knew such as her husband, the Mexican mural painter Diego Rivera, and numerous studies for self- portraits. The most fascinating part of the book is the facsimile diary, reproduced here for the first time, with colour illustrations. It is accompanied by an English translation with explanatory commentaries.
Reader Reviews:
Well worth the wait (1/1 people found this helpful)
A really lovely book, everything thing about it, the weight the page thickness, the colour, makes it ascetically pleasing...not to mention the content!
Perhaps slightly incoherent but I think that this reflects exactly Kahlo's mind and her art...snippets of her life painted or written down in brutal honesty.
Inside her mind? (23/23 people found this helpful)
This book is probably the most intriguing artists' diary I have ever read. The visual experiments blend with verbal play and puns, and many odd but fascinating, slightly disjointed writings. I loved the way she used language, and played around with mantras of random words, and the sheer variety of layout and imagery, funny doodles and unconscious scribbles, is life- affirming and comforting (or at least I thought so :D ) The essay by Fuentes was one of the best and most inventive I have read of her, a life of complexity described by a poet with words. I would strongly recommend this to anyone with an interest in the woman behind the cult, it will broaden your mind beyond the cliches society has made of her life and symbolism, and will show you her very inventive interest in life.
An excellent portrayal of love's diverse effects on a woman. (9/10 people found this helpful)
Frida Kahlo was a woman of great artistic talent and her Picasso-influenced work tells a story about her life together with her husband, a man she adores so much she feels that he can move the very stars out of the sky. Her passionate and immensely detailed diary (in spanish) can be read by anyone and still touch the hearts of those who do not speak the language. The english translation allows the english-speaking reader to understand her highs and lows, but to read the actual copies of her diary really give you an understanding of her intense character.
Poetry and art fused together in an entirely unique way, this book is a treasure for the lover of both acts of expression, and the story of her life is illustrated not only in the introduction, but in the magnificent colours and words used in her diary.
This book will undoubtably inspire, shock, enlighten and touch the hearts of those who read it.
Graphically rich! (20/20 people found this helpful)
If you are expecting a standard diary, full of descriptions of what happened today, who visited for breakfast, and what Frida had for dinner - then don't order this book. Frida's diary is an amazing combination of text and paintings. She writes random comments with little consideration of form. In fact, many of the things she writes are random lists of words, or letters to loves that are never sent, or even descriptions of fantastic events that never occur outside of her imagination. It's like a huge and colorful experiment in free writing and unconscious expression. Combine these words with the sketches, paintings, and drawing scattered about - sometimes on pages of their own, sometimes in the midst of words that are written around the edges of the artwork - and you have an incredible and extremely unique diary. Personally, I found it inspiring to read and have incorporated many of the elements into my own journal. (If you are looking for a way to break out of writers block, or artists block, I would seriously consider getting a copy of this book and mimicking the technique. It's very freeing and has a way of generating ideas.)
Stunning (2/5 people found this helpful)
Beautiful book, beautiful spirit. My only criticism is structural. I had to do a lot of flipping back and forth. All told, though, it's worth it.
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Categories
Amazon.co.uk places this book into the following categories:
Books -> Subjects -> Art, Architecture & Photography -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Art, Architecture & Photography -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Artists, Architects & Photographers -> Artists
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> Artists, Architects & Photographers -> General AAS
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> General
Books -> Subjects -> Biography -> General AAS
Books -> Refinements -> Language (feature_browse-bin) -> English
Books -> Refinements -> Format (binding_browse-bin) -> Hardcover
Books -> Refinements -> Font Size (format_browse-bin) -> Regular Size