ONCE UPON A TIME IN MEXICO: FRIDA KAHLO'S GARDEN AT LA CASA AZUL, COYOACAN

摘要

Throughout history the visual arts have impacted upon the making of gardens. The twentieth century was no exception. This paper explores the numerous ways in which the Mexican painter Frida Kahlo's life as an artist directly influenced the creation, design and ornamentation of her garden at La Casa Azul, Coyoacdn, on the outskirts of Mexico City. In it she continued the dominant themes and visual motifs that came to define her work: hope and defiance in the face of pain and death; a deeply rooted love of nature; and an uncontained admiration for Mexico, its people, its history and its culture. At the same time, she took much inspiration from the garden, often using it as a broader setting for her art. In this respect, the garden is an object worthyof study, not just as an entity in itself, but as an extension of Kahlo's artistic oeuvre; a continuation of the public persona she presented to the outside world; and as a fine example of how the life of an artist can inspire the creation of a garden.