While Frida Kahlo (1907-1954) was connected to several artists working in the Mexican Muralism movement, she worked at a much smaller scale, a sign of her different approach to painting. In works like Self-portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird (1940), Kahlo visually connects herself to Mexican folk art and Indigenous culture, taking on the identity of a Tehuana woman. In the painting, her bust fills up the majority of the composition as she stands in front of a wall of bright foliage. The dead hummingbird hanging from her neck has been noted as a good luck symbol in Mexican folklore and associated with the symbol of the Aztec god of war. A thorn necklace is pulled tightly by the monkey behind her, piercing her neck and drawing blood, suggesting her status as a martyr.

Learn more about the work that inspired this pin HERE.