A Formal Analysis

Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas (Las dos Fridas), 1939, oil on canvas, 67-11/16 x 67-11/16 inches (Museo de Arte Moderno, Mexico City)

The Two Fridas by the famous Mexican artist Frida Kahlo is an oil painting that was

produced in 1939. Taking up most of the canvas are the two Fridas. The two figures are holding

hands and their bodies extend from the very bottom of the piece to about five inches from the top

of the canvas. Behind them is a stormy sky that takes up two-thirds of the image from the top and

ends with a dirt floor. The two Fridas are sitting on a woven backless bench that is located on the

bottom half of the image.

The visual emphasis is on the two figures. While there is an aspect of dualism going on

the two Fridas are irrefutably connected and can therefore be seen as one visual emphasis. As

stated earlier, the two are seated on a woven backless bench holding hands, which meet at the

center of the canvas, and are near mirror images of each other. Both of their bodies are turned

facing what would be the viewer with the Frida on the left being located about one foot from the

left edge of the canvas and the Frida on the right being located about one foot from the right edge

of the canvas. Their bodies start from the very bottom of the canvas with their skirts and extend

upwards and end at their head about five inches from the top of the canvas. Their seated position

creates two slightly slanted lines (roughly sixty degrees); on Frida One (left) this line can be seen

connecting from her exposed ear to the bottom right edge of her European styled dress and on

Frida Two (right) this can be seen from her exposed ear connecting to the unexposed left edge of

her traditional Mexican skirt. These two directional lines intersect and outline the focal point of

the two figures – their joined hands.

Starting with Frida One, her black hair is swept into a voluminous up-do pulled back

from her face with an implied line using upward strokes to create her hairline. A few inches

below her hairline rests her famous black unibrow with the arc of the unibrow pointing

downwards to her nose. Below her eyebrow are her dark brown heavy lidded eyes which stare

straight forward. Above her upper lip is a faint mustache. Her red lips are pursed and show no

hint of a smile. Her head is, from her perspective, facing slightly left. Contour lines outline the

shape of her face which is a light bronze, like the rest of her body, and her cheeks are highlighted

with blush to create depth. There are more contour lines creating depth and shape to her ear,

nose, slight eye-bags, chin, and jawline. From her neck down, excluding her forearms, she is

covered in an off-white gown that is reminiscent of a traditional European wedding dress. The

ruffles of the collar of the dress begin at her jawline and continue into a ruffled bodice which

stops at the waist where the ruffles transition into a smooth fabric. This same transition occurs at

her shoulders. The composition of the dress is made from classical lines, evident from the

orderly and controlled illustration of the dress. There are contour lines within the dress to create

shape and depth to the ruffles of the bodice and the pleats of the sleeves. Visible through her

bodice is an exposed broken heart in the anatomically correct position. The arteries extend up the

neck but one extends outward and branches off into two arteries with one looping behind Frida

One’s neck and connecting to Frida Two and the other looping around behind Frida One’s

shoulder, out from under her sleeve, behind her hand (which is positioned across her lap) ending

pinched off in surgical pincers. The end of the artery drips blood onto a fold in her dress.

Contour lines in the skirt portion of the dress suggest a bend in her knees which correspond to

the angle of the bench. The bottom portion of her dress is decorated in small red flowers, the

same color as her lips, the arteries, and the blood. The dress ends in small pleats and immediately

below it are a few inches of the ground.

Once again, Frida Two is a near mirror image of Frida One, the main disparity being their

attire. Frida Two is in traditional Mexican dress. Unlike Frida One, Frida Two has her neck,

clavicle, and arms exposed. Her blue and orange shirt begins right below her clavicle with

classical lines creating the controlled arc of the top of her blouse. Her top contains contour lines

and various shades of blue to suggest folds from her position of sitting. Her brown skirt begins a

few inches below her waist and mimics the exact shape and flow of the white gown on Frida

One. Like the first dress, this brown skirt also ends in off-white pleats with a few inches of

ground showing right below it. While Frida One had a broken exposed heart, Frida Two has a

complete healthy looking heart. The artery from Frida One connects to Frida Two, with the

artery traveling over Frida Two’s right shoulder. Another artery from Frida Two goes under her

blue blouse and wraps around her left arm and ends connected to a small portrait of Diego Rivera

which can be seen in Frida Two’s left hand.

Behind them can be seen a stormy sky made evident by the use of expressive lines to

outline the angry clouds and various shades of grey. The bench which the two figures sit atop

seems to be created with analytic lines, which can be seen by the almost mathematical makeup of

the cylindrical shape of the bench’s black legs. The texture of a woven bench is implied by the

use of hatched lines.

Overall, The Two Fridas is a tribute to Frida Kahlo’s mixed heritage as well as to her

marriage to Diego Rivera. Multiple points in the piece direct attention to their joined hands

which symbolize the joining of culture and the dualism of heartbreak and her love for Diego.