Frida Kahlo's Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird: Symbolism and Context

Key facts

• Frida Kahlo painted 'Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird' in 1940.
• The painting is held at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin, Texas, USA.
• Kahlo created the work after her divorce from Diego Rivera.
• The thorn necklace draws blood, evoking Jesus's crown of thorns.
• The dead hummingbird symbolizes desolation and the Aztec god Huitzilopochtli.
• Butterflies in the painting represent resurrection.
• The black cat is associated with bad luck.
• The monkey is often seen as a reference to Diego Rivera.
• Animals appear in 55 of Kahlo's 143 paintings.
• Kahlo had two spider monkeys: Fulang Chang and Caimito de Guayabal.
• The dense jungle backdrop conveys vitality and entrapment.
• Kahlo's clothing and symbols reflect Mexicanidad.
• Her earliest self-portrait is 'Self-Portrait in a Velvet Dress' (1926), her first professional painting.
• Kahlo's self-portraits were a form of self-therapy and identity construction.
• She is considered a feminist icon.