David Hockney, alive and well at 87 years old (2024) once said; “We always see with memory”. And this is true. The art or the seeing with memory are loosely associated techniques used to organize memory impressions, and assist in the combination and ‘invention’ of ideas in art. David Hockney is a master of expressing this in his work. His art represents moments in time that are captured in large scale.

Hockney is an English painter, draughtsman, printmaker, stage designer and photographer. He attended the Bradford College of Art and the Royal College of Art in London. Hockney is an important contributor to the Pop art movement of the 1960s, he is considered one of the most influential British artists of the 20th century.

Hockney is an active arts advocate and his work is widely recognized, awarded and in fact he was even offered a knighthood (which he declined). In 2012, Queen Elizabeth II appointed him to the Order of Merit, an honor restricted to 24 members at any one time for their contributions to the arts and sciences. He is also highly praised for adopting technology, with artworks created on the iPad. Admittedly he didn’t take to the Apple device quickly. “It took me awhile to realize it’s quite a serious tool you can use,” he said.

Hockney Swimming Pool Paintings

In the 1960’w when Hockney emigrated to the United States he was known for his ‘swimming pool’ paintings and his most famous is A Bigger Splash, named after one of Hockney’s most famous swimming pool paintings from 1967.

This painting above, Portrait of an Artist (Pool with Two Figures) is a large acrylic-on-canvas measuring 7 ft x 10 ft and was completed in May 1972. In 2018, his painting Portrait of an Artist (Pool With Two Figures) sold for $90.3 million, then the highest sale ever for a living artist.

David Hockney Trees and Landscapes

From pools to landscapes, Hockney painted a series of landscape paintings to express his love for the natural environment. Hockney composed his landscape paintings in acrylics over multiple canvases.

Hockney’s work continues to amaze, even into his senior years. His style evolves into new places as he ages and his work is not only an inspiration for the arts but for graphic design too.

As you get older, it gets a bit harder to keep the spontaneity in you, but I work at it.
-David Hockney

When I’m not in the studio, I feel my age, he says. But when I am in my studio, I feel 30.
-David Hockney

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Before the Scream Painting – A Brief Backstory

Edvard Munch was born December 12, 1863 in a farmhouse in the village of Ådalsbruk in Løten, United Kingdoms of Sweden and Norway. Often ill and kept out of school, Edvard would draw to keep himself occupied. He was tutored by his school mates and his aunt. His Father, Christian Munch also instructed his son in history and literature and entertained the children with vivid ghost stories and the tales of American writer Edgar Allan Poe.

In 1879, Munch enrolled in a technical college to study engineering, where he excelled in physics, chemistry and math. He learned scaled and perspective drawing, but frequent illnesses interrupted his studies. The following year, much to his father’s disappointment, Munch left the college determined to become a painter.

At this time he wrote in his diary:

I have in fact made up my mind to become a painter.

Self-Portraits – His Inner World

His self-portraits were a theme of expression throughout his career. They have been compared to Rembrandt. His first self-portrait (shown above) in 1881-82 is one of his very first surviving painting and completed at the age of 18.

Throughout his life, his work remained consistent in that it expressed both his inner world and the world how he viewed it. From what he felt to what he saw. His work expressed private pain and trauma to an expression of themes and events around him. One such event that he painted and expressed with intensity was the death of his young sister Sophie. The theme of death would haunt him for the rest of his life.

Despair

Munch often used color not for naturalist description but to convey feeling, anxiety and intensity. One of his earlier paintings that expressed anxiety through color (before The Scream) was Despair painted in 1892 (shown above). From this painting The Scream evolved.

The Scream

It’s interesting that The Scream was somewhat a wild child of Munch’s work. No other painting produced by Munch had the same look and intensity as The Scream did.

The Scream exists in four versions: two pastels (1893 and 1895) and two paintings (1893 and 1910). There are also several lithographs of The Scream (1895 and later).

In 2012, The Scream sold for 119.9 million to financier Leon Black an American private equity investor. The $119.9-million price set a record for the most expensive artwork sold at auction.

The Scream is Munch’s most famous work, and one of the most recognizable paintings in all art. It has been widely interpreted as representing the universal anxiety of modern man.

It departed from his earlier works in that the style was so harsh and coarsely applied. The mixed mediums – oils, gouche, tempura, pastel and pencil. The figure is devoid of identity and presence. It seems as if it’s frantically painted. The mouth forms a singular

O.

The wild red sky is an expression of the figures emotions: hopelessness and panic. The “loud, unending scream piercing nature,” comforts the viewer with emotions.

I Gave Up Hope

With this painting, The Scream, Munch met his stated goal of “the study of the soul, that is to say the study of my own self”. Munch wrote of how the painting came to be: “I was walking down the road with two friends when the sun set; suddenly, the sky turned as red as blood. I stopped and leaned against the fence, feeling unspeakably tired. Tongues of fire and blood stretched over the bluish black fjord. My friends went on walking, while I lagged behind, shivering with fear. Then I heard the enormous, infinite scream of nature.”

He later described the personal anguish behind the painting:

For several years I was almost mad… You know my picture, ‘The Scream?’ I was stretched to the limit—nature was screaming in my blood… After that I gave up hope ever of being able to love again.

Bordering on Insanity?

During the 1890’s and 1900’s Munch repeatedly defended himself against the charges of insanity and mental illness. However he had feared that he was genetically marked by mental illness from his father.

Munch wrote, “My father was temperamentally nervous and obsessively religious—to the point of psychoneurosis. From him I inherited the seeds of madness. The angels of fear, sorrow, and death stood by my side since the day I was born”.

Breakdown

In the autumn of 1908, Munch’s anxiety, compounded by excessive drinking and brawling, had become acute. As he later wrote, “My condition was verging on madness—it was touch and go.”

Experiencing hallucinations and feelings of persecution, he entered a clinic for eight months and received therapy which included diet and “electrification.” Munch’s stay in hospital stabilized his personality, and after returning to Norway in 1909, his work became more colorful and less pessimistic.

Later Years and Solitude

Munch never married and spent most of his last two decades in solitude at his nearly self-sufficient estate in Ekely, at Skøyen, Oslo. At this time he was a renowned and wealthy artist. Many of his late paintings celebrate farm life, including several in which he used his work horse “Rousseau” as a model. To the end of his life, Munch continued to paint unsparing self-portraits, adding to his self-searching cycle of his life and his unflinching series of takes on his emotional and physical states.

Upon his death in 1944 in Norway, at the age of 80, the authorities discovered—behind locked doors on the second floor of his house—a collection of 1,008 paintings, 4,443 drawings and 15,391 prints, as well as woodcuts, etchings, lithographs, lithographic stones, woodcut blocks, copperplates and photographs.

All his works of art were bequeath to the city of Oslo in Norway.

In May 2012, The Scream sold for $119.9 million, and is the second most expensive artwork ever sold at an open auction. (It was surpassed in November 2013 by Three Studies of Lucian Freud by painter Francis Bacon, which sold for $142.4 million)

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Frida Kahlo, born July 6th 1907 is Mexico’s most famous woman artist. She is best known for her self-portraits that express the emotional effects of pain, loss and tragedy in her life. Upon viewing her work one can’t help to be engaged with the intensity of emotion and passion along with a lingering curiosity as to the meaning and representation of her surrealistic imagery.

From a traditional viewpoint, Frida’s work expresses the essence of her culture in the 1920’s. Many of her paintings include artifacts of Mexico and traditional Mexican costumes – long skirts and dresses. She rejected conventional Western standards of beauty such as groomed eye brows and groomed her unibrow and even mustache to make them darker.

Domestic elements of her work connect with ordinary life with her love for her pets which is evident in her self portraits with monkeys, birds, cats and more. Her bright colors express a celebratory feel of Mexican folk art and her direct unwavering stare insinuates brashness and boldness.

However, this boldness in her work scratches at the surface to reveal the deeper meaning of her work that reflect her tumultuous relationship with Rivera, as well as the anguish of her ever-deteriorating health. Frida’s art dramatizes the pain in her life while cultivating an image as a bold survivor.

Frida’s Most Compelling Paintings

Pain
The pain Frida expressed in her art continued past the physical pain in her life from disease and accident into emotional pain when she married Diego Rivera. As if her bodily injuries weren’t compelling enough, Frida’s drama – as well as her art – was enhanced by what she referred to as the second accident in her life: Diego Rivera, the famous Mexican muralist and notorious womanizer to whom she was married for 25 years and subsequently in his shadow for the better part of it. Her work didn’t attracted the attention and praise of Diego, which in the beginning of their relationship she longed for.

The Two Frida’s
Hailed as one of her most famous pieces, the intimate and personal painting is notable for it’s surrealism and symbolism. It is believed to be a painting depicting her deep hurt at losing Diego. One Frida sits on the left of the painting; this is the Frida that was rejected by Rivera, Her blouse is ripped open, exposing her broken and bleeding heart.

The Frida to the right, the one that Rivera still loves, has a heart that is still whole. She holds a small portrait of Rivera in her hand. The painting had a special significance for Frida, after her death, this small portrait of Rivera was found amongst Frida’s belongings, and is now on display at the Museo Frida Kahlo in Mexico.

My Birth – 1932
In 1932 Kahlo had a miscarriage, which prompted her to paint some of the most gruesome of the self-portraits that later sealed her reputation as one of the most original painters of her time. One of Frida most startling works, “My Birth,” painted in 1932 was in process when Kahlo found out that her mother was dying of cancer. The painting expresses a startling look at a partially covered woman’s body with Kahlo’s bloodied head bursting out of the vagina.

Currently the ‘My Birth’ painting is owned by Madonna whom is a avid collector of Frida’s art. It’s also thought that Madonna owns Kahlo’s 1943 work Roots purchased for $5.6 million at a Sotheby’s auction.

Me and My Doll – 1937
Many of Frida’s paintings express a fascination with procreation, and some directly reflect her despair at not having children due to her 1925 bus accident which left her unable to bear children. As substitutes for children she collected dolls and kept many pets on which she bestowed her affection.

One of the most moving paintings is a self-portrait of Frida sitting on a bed next to a lifeless looking child/doll. She is smoking a cigarette and looks bored, and is sitting some distance from the child on the bed–a reflection that is believed to be her real lack of maternal instincts.

Niña con Mascara de Muerte (Ella juega sola) – Girl with Death Mask (She Plays Alone)
In 1938 Frida painted this painting and it is thought to be a portrait of her when she was four years old. She is wearing a skull mask traditionally worn at the annual Mexican festival “Day of the Dead.” The girl is holding a yellow flower that looks like the tagete flower that Mexicans place on graves during the “Day of the Dead.” Frida gave this painting to the actress Dolores del Rio as a gift. Later it became a part of a private collection in Monterey, California. It’s now a part of the collection at the Museum of Art in Nagoya, Japan.

Frida’s Last Painting: Viva la Vida, 
Watermelons – 1954

Personal tragedy struck in 1953, when due to complications her right leg was amputated below the knee. Kahlo’s last painting, which she completed shortly before she died, was a still life with watermelons. The watermelon in Frida’s painting has much meaning and is a frequent subject in Mexican art. It is a popular symbol in the holiday Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) which commonly depicts watermelons being eaten by the dead or shown in close conjunction with the dead.

Eight days before she died, she wrote her name, the date and the place of execution on the melon’s red pulp, along with the title “VIVA LA VIDA – Coyoacán 1954 Mexico”, in large capital letters: Long Life Life!

Kahlo died in 1954, at the age of 47. She spent her life in pain, and wrote in her diary a few days before her death that she hoped ‘the exit is joyful, and I hope never to return’.

Fridamania

For almost 30 years Kahlo largely disappeared from the mainstream art world, until the 1938 book was published “Frida: A Biography of Frida Kahlo.”

When it was published, there wasn’t a single monograph of Kahlo’s work to show people what it looked like, but the biography sparked a Frida frenzy that continues today.

 During the month of July we have a Frida Contest on Art & Design Inspiration

If you would like to participate in our Fridamania celebration, create something inspired by Frida.
See the details here!

“I paint my own reality, the only thing I know is that I paint because I need to, and I paint always whatever passes through my head, without any other consideration.”

– Frida Kahlo

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The Creative Process in Art

Artists are those who create much more than those oil, charcoal, or acrylics hanging on the wall – they’re musicians, poets, photographers, even those who dabble in web design or creating inspiring spaces in homes. Creativity is a quality not found in everyone, one that’s difficult to understand for those who feel like they don’t have a creative bone in their bodies. So, what exactly does turn an artist on in terms of the creative process?

Being creative requires something that may be best described as a “flexibility of mind.” Studies over the years have proven that those who are more creative than most are usually free spirits, those who are less inhibited or controlled but love spontaneity and expressing their emotions or feelings.

The Five Stages of the Creative Process

For our purpose in this article we’ll focus on the art of painting or creating visual art. According to some there are five “stages” in the creative process, and not all five always go forward in a certain order. These five stages include inspiration, percolation, preparation, creation, and reflection.

Inspiration

Inspiration can be found nearly anywhere for those who are creative, whether in nature, people, even a life event. What’s funny is that inspiration can strike at any time, even in the middle of the night. Something may inspire you at the time you least expect it, sparking that “creative” moment that you know you have to toss it around in your mind and figure out just how you can capture it. Which brings us to . . .

Percolation

Most artists find that before they can actually create a work of art, there’s lots of things to do and think about. Maybe it’s taking some time for your idea to fully develop, refining your idea, or drawing out sketch after sketch to create the final piece on an initial whim.

Getting Prepared

Once an artist has been inspired and “percolates” (which is defined as penetrates gradually or filters) an idea and settles on how to move forward, it’s time to decide what tools are necessary to make it happen. This doesn’t only include a canvas or colored pencils, oil or acrylic paints, the right brushes, charcoal, and a soothing, quiet space with no distractions, but making rough sketches or a blueprint, organizing your space and supplies. Getting completed organized and prepared is key to creativity!

Creation Stage

The creation stage is where your ideas and visualizations finally come together, although the time it takes can vary enormously from one person to another. Creating what you’ve envisioned may take a few days, a few weeks, a few months, or even longer. Often the creation process depends on the medium, how fine the details will be, even your focus, available time, and temperament or artistic style. One thing is for certain – you never want to rush the creation stage. In the end, you want what you’ve created to be as meaningful, inspirational, engaging, and beautiful to others as it is to you. Art often has a far deeper meaning than most people realize.

Now it’s time to reflect on your creation, which makes every artist experience different emotions. You may feel “spent,” proud, relieved, accomplished, or even a bit depressed, which is normal. Saying that, there really is no “normal” when it comes to creating art!

The truth is the creative process is different for every person, which is what makes every artist unique in his or her own way. No two people think alike, or envision their creations in the same way. Be proud of your work and enjoy the process, time, and effort into what you consider making art for others to enjoy!

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Those who “teach” themselves art can understandably become frustrated, particularly as a beginner. You have a bit of skill, you realize that – but how do you nurture your talent and bring out the real “artist” in you? Whether you paint landscapes in watercolor, still life works in oil or acrylic, or love abstract works of art, sometimes it’s easy to feel as though you have reached your limit in terms of your skill or imagination.

However, as an artist did you know that there really is no limit when it comes to creative, imaginative, and beautiful art? You can learn to “hone” your skills and grow as an accomplished self-taught artist.

1. Your Mindset – Give Yourself Permission

To hone in on your skills, first hone in on believing you can. Self-doubt is the biggest quencher of creativity. Artists are sensitive and harder on themselves. It’s easy to give up when you don’t believe in your work. Don’t let the fear of other people’s judgement stop you from creating your work. Judgement ties in with self-doubt. Give yourself permission, sometimes you can’t wait for the people in your life to give you the approval.

2. Don’t compare your work with other artists.

Sure, it seems almost impossible to do. You see other people’s works of art and are amazed at their talent. You cruise Instagram looking at the talent of artists throughout the world and you feel… “name your feeling“.

You are an individual, so your work should reflect your own skill, talent, and creativity. Other artists’ work can inspire you and give you ideas, but never look at others’ work and let it make you feel inferior. As artists, we never ever stop growing in regards to our skills, talent, and learning – it’s an ongoing process. Don’t stop!

3. Focus.

In a busy world, it’s easy to get distracted. Sometimes you look at a blank canvas or paper, and you think that’s as far as you will get. Disconnect from distractions, sit and relax your mind; block out everything else, focus on the energy of what you are creating – This is the power of art.

Let your creative juices flow, and when they begin, don’t hold back! Put those beautiful colors on the canvas and let it lead where it may.

4. Keep it simple.

When you are in the beginning phase and just starting to develop your talent, stick with one or two media such as watercolor or charcoal. Start with a simple subject, and don’t even attempt a project that’s really intense or complex, such as painting a huge panorama depicting horses, meadows and spicy colored woolen blankets.

You should start simple, drawing or painting fruits, bowls, water pitchers, and other things that are really basic. As you master the most basic, you can build out and begin adding shadows, light, and other elements that give your work dimension. Eventually you will find yourself painting the most complex art works that seem to come alive on the canvas, filled with texture, shadows, light, color – life!

5. Gratitude: Feel blessed for the talent you have been given.

Not everyone has the ability to create art, and not everyone can even learn it with someone else teaching. If you have been blessed with artistic ability, be happy with doing your personal best, and know that studying your favorite artists’ works and practice will take you to new levels that will excite and inspire you!

Honing your skills when you’re an artist is a process that continues forever; be inspired, be motivated, and most of all let your art reflect yourself and your passion!

You Might Find these Articles Helpful:

Am I good enough: Beyond Fear
Is this you? Common Traits of Artists
Essential Tips for Keeping your skills and Life in Order
Getting Paid what your worth – How do you value your work?

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Some say artists have their head in the clouds.

Do artists have their heads in the clouds? Yes, and it’s a world that never gets boring. However to the outsider, artists may not seem to be paying attention, but artists are very aware (hyper aware in fact) of everything – innuendos, and how things look, taste, sound, feel and smell. Often analyzing or noticing shapes, patterns, colors, expressions and more, artists have a strong appreciate for aesthetics and heightened senses and intuition.

High Expectations

The artist personality types have strong feelings about ‘what’s right’, personal values and strive to consistently meet the expectations they set for ourselves; often these expectations are high and unattainable which can make artists frustrated or depressed.

Personal and Creative Space

Artist types need more personal space than other types. They can often be seen as reserved and difficult to know, however at heart they are very sensitive and loyal to those they let in. Not only is personal needed, an inspiring creative space for creating work is essential. Even if the space is a small corner in a room, it can be motivating. Take a look at our article on how to create the ideal art space.

Because they absorb so much of the world around them, they may appear standoffish. But they are not, they are just somewhere else.

The challenge for the artist is to have ‘thinking and creating’ space. When artists don’t get enough personal space they become scattered, unproductive and moody.

Meaning Seekers

Artists tend to take life very seriously. Sure there are carefree and lighthearted days but overall life is serious business. They seek meaning in even the most mundane tasks. If an artist can’t find meaning or inspiration in anything in their life, sometimes this can result in depression.

Artists are like explorers, constantly gathering specific information and shifting it through their value systems, in search for clarification and underlying meaning.

Critical

The Achille’s heel of the artist is personal criticism. The artists worst enemy is himself. Their strong value systems can lead them to be intensely perfectionist, and cause them to judge themselves with unnecessary harshness. This personal criticism leads to more anxiety, more criticism and it becomes a vicious circle. They don’t give themselves enough credit for what they do well.

The artist type can find more peace and fulfillment if they can come to the understanding and acceptance that not everything they create has to be perfect. To take on the motto “good enough” can be freeing.

Challenges

Life is not likely to be extremely easy for the artist types of people in the world. Because they can tend to take life seriously and they deal with personal criticism and insecurities. Some artist types struggle with depression, anxiety, addictions and more.

Strengths

As thinkers and vision seekers with visionary and intuition gifts, artists can solve problems in creative ways. Though they might not be the most vocal one on a work related team, they will be the doer on the team. Most artistic people are highly disciplined and gifted with superior powers of concentration – almost to the point of obsessiveness. Because of this level of concentration they are capable of producing great quantities of high quality work; however they also enjoy frequent periods of recreation and inactivity. To those they care deeply about they are loyal to the end and also generous. They are also very sympathetic and can be idealists on one hand trying to fix the woes of the world. They have a strong desire to please and show their love through actions rather than words.

Artists are interested in contributing to people’s sense of well-being and happiness, and will put a great deal of effort and energy into tasks which they believe in.

Wired differently?

A study has found that artists have structurally different brains compared with non-artists. Participants’ brain scans revealed that artists had increased neural matter in areas relating to fine motor movements and visual imagery. This study* suggests that structural brain differences in relation to expertise have been demonstrated in visual perception, spatial navigation, complex motor skills and musical ability. Bottom line, practice makes perfect and changes the structure of your brain.

Understanding Artists

Out of all the personality types, most artists are not people manipulators and are not the sales type of people and they don’t like superficial things. In their world there is a drive to create and express non-verbally, find daily meaning, have independence and personal space and contribute to the things they believe deeply in.

Sources
Artists have different brains compared with non-artists according to this study.

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They have been demonized and also expressed with tenderness in poetry and art. Their keen sense of presence and awareness can be off-putting to the observer. They are mischievous and also have the intelligence on par with primates and can solve complex problems. Crows are nature’s fifth smartest animal species. Did you know that crows can recognize and remember individual faces? Many cultures consider crows to be the keepers of the Sacred Law, for nothing escapes their keen sight.

Artists have also been fascinated with crows and ravens. From past to present, we can find inspiration in the curious and often misunderstood and mysterious crows and ravens.

The following crow and raven art are a few of our favorites. From prey to predator, exquisite in detail, to whimsical and surreal… each of these famous artist have represented the crow or raven in a unique way.

1. Crow Study by Andrew Wyeth
Andrew Wyeth, Crows (Study for Woodshed)
Andrew Wyeth created detailed drawings to study from and use in his final works. Crows was a study form his painting “Woodshed”, painted in 1944. The crow as prey.

2. Wheatfield With Crows by Vincent van Gogh
One of his van Gogh’s final paintings before his death in July 1890. Is there a sense of dread in this painting? The crow leaving…

3. Woman with a Crow by Pablo Picasso
Woman with a Crow was produced towards the end of Picasso’s ‘blue period’ in 1904. The subject exudes mystery. A young woman kisses and gently caresses a crow – possibly a literary reference to the mysteries of Edgar Allan Poe. The crow as lover.

4. An Illustration Of A Crow
From the 1921 book “An Argosy of Fables” 
by Paul Bransom (July 1885 – July 19, 1979) who was an American painter, cartoonist, and illustrator of animals. The crow as seen as survivor.

5. Raven by Jamie Wyeth

Talent runs in the family, James Browning Wyeth (born July 6, 1946) is son of Andrew Wyeth. Here is his version of a raven with a contemporary flair that feels ominous. The raven as mysterious.

6. Raven by John James Audubon
Exquisitely detailed Raven by Master bird artist Audubon. Here the Raven is presented in it’s natural element. The raven as self-sufficient and powerful. Learn more about John James Audubon and his famous bird paintings.

7. The Tree of Crows (also known as Raven Tree) by Caspar David Friedrich
The painting depicts a twisted oak tree, bare but for a few dead leaves, seen against an evening sky with crows taking flight. Intuitive crows.

8. Hooded Crows by Bruno Liljefors.
Painted in 1891 this was one of the first of the wildlife paintings outside the scientific realm that continue to be made today. Beautiful serene crows rest quietly.

9. Magpie by Rick Bartow
Many of Rick Bartow’s themes include crows as spirit animals. He explores connections between animal and spirit worlds. Crows as surreal.

10. Krahe by Rudi Hurzlmeier

This modern German artist is a painter and author. His version of the Crow is whimsical and yet posses something extraordinary. A feel of Magic Realism set in a stark setting. Let your imagination wander. The crow as whimsical… and something more.

Hope you enjoyed our exploration of crows and ravens by famous artists!

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Dali certainly had his own unique style, however he was also a skilled classical painter.

Is This Dali? The Woman at the Window
In this painting Figure at the Window and sometimes referred to as Girl at the Window, at first glance it does not seem like a Dali painting. The figurative approach has a classical realism feel and an Andrew Wyeth style of American realist expressed with Monochromatic colors. The window with its stark contrasts and lonely figure all play into American realism.

What was Dali thinking? What does this painting mean?
Figure at the Window is a painting of a dark-haired woman standing and leaning against a window seal as she is looking out an open window to a bay. The landscape behind the window is the bay of Cadaqués, where Dali used to stay in the summer. The focal point of the picture is on the back of the woman, not what she is looking at. Her dress is minimized and chaste. Simple, non-assuming and relaxed. The window seems larger than life and takes up more than half the painting.

This woman is Ana Maria his sister three years younger with whom he was close with, particularly after the death of their mother. Ana Maria was his only female model until Gala replaced her in 1929.

“At that time my brother painted countless portraits of me. Many of them were simply studies of hair and a bared shoulder”.

However the closeness did not last! Dali got mad and retribution followed.

True Dali Style

Dali had a sort of falling out with his sister who wrote an autobiography in 1949 that portrayed a very different view of Dali to the one he had carefully constructed in his autobiographies; this led to the collapse of their relationship.

As revenge it is said that he painted a another version of this Figure at a Window in 1954 and called it Young Virgin Auto-Sodomized by the Horns of Her Own Chastity.

The painting is in stark opposite to Woman at the Window which is seen as chaste, neutral and non assuming. The painting above ‘looks’ like an explicit Dali painting. Interesting are the windows in each painting. The figure above overwhelms the window while the classical window overwhelms the figure in proportion.

This particular painting was formerly in the collection of The Playboy Mansion and was sold in 2003 for 1.35 million pounds.

In 1958, Dalí wrote, “Paradoxically, this painting, which has an erotic appearance, is the most chaste of all.”

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She has just cut off her long hair that Diego loved. In her left hand she holds a lock of her clipped hair like an sign of her sacrifice. In her right hand, she holds the scissors with which she martyred her femininity. Strands of her hair are everywhere and they surround her in the empty space that she seems to shrinks into.

In contrast to her typical self-portraits, she would fill up the canvas with boldness, colorful expressions, elaborateness. Here she purposely minimizes herself in this portrait of gravity and sadness.

The verse of a song painted across the top of the portrait points to the reason behind this act of self-mutilation:

“See, if I loved you, it was for your hair, now you’re bald, I don’t love you any more.”

After the divorce, Frida gave up her Tehuana costumes so liked by Diego and wore instead a man’s suit. The only feminine attribute she retained was her earrings. This self-portrait seems to express her desire for the freedom and independence of a man and yet at the same time expresses the sadness and loss. The marriage lasted just five short years; the two separated in 1934 and divorced in 1938, although they would remarry just two years later.

Diego was married three times other than to Frida, although he did say, “If I ever loved a woman, the more I loved her, the more I wanted to hurt her.  Frida was only the most obvious victim of this disgusting trait.”  A doctor once diagnosed Diego as being “unfit” for monogamy, however upon her death in 1954 Diego wrote, “I realized that the most wonderful part of my life had been my love for Frida.”

In spite of all the pain Frida experience with Diego, in typical Frida style she is still controlled. The yellow chair, the only bright spot in the painting, seats the upright Frida in a partial man stance. Legs firmly planted, and body at a slight angle she is not facing the viewer but looks sideways.   Her face proportionally smaller than her body seems to state an uncertainty that minimizes her femininity, yet, she has accepted her new look and mourns for what was lost.

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