Frida Kahlo: The woman behind the legend - Iseult Gillespie

翻译人员: Mugai Hsiung 校对人员: Carol Wang

In 1925,

1925年，

Frida Kahlo was on her way home from school in Mexico City

墨西哥城的弗里达·卡罗 放学回家路上，

when the bus she was riding collided with a streetcar.

她乘坐的公交与一辆有轨电车相撞。

She suffered near-fatal injuries to her spine, pelvis and hips,

她的脊柱、骨盆和髋关节 遭受了近乎致命的损伤，

and was bedridden for months afterward.

随后卧床数月。

During her recovery,

在康复期间，

she had a special easel attached to her bed

她的床边挂有一个特殊的画板，

so she could practice painting techniques.

借此她可以练习绘画技巧。

When she set to work,

当她重新开始工作时，

she began to paint the world according to her own singular vision.

她开始以自己的视角 借助画笔来描绘这个世界。

Over the course of her life,

在其生命历程中，

she would establish herself as the creator and muse behind extraordinary art.

她将自己塑造为 卓越艺术背后的创造者和缪斯。

Though you may have met Kahlo's gaze before,

虽然你以前看过 卡罗画像的注视目光，

her work provides an opportunity to see the world through her eyes.

但是她的作品提供了一个 以卡罗的眼睛看世界的机会。

She painted friends and family,

她画作的主题包括朋友和家人、

still lives and spiritual scenes;

静物和有灵性的场景。

but it was her mesmerizing self-portraits

然而她那些迷人的自画像

which first caught the world’s attention.

才是吸引全世界目光的作品。

In an early work,

在她的早期作品

"Self Portrait with Velvet Dress,"

《丝绒装扮自画像》中，

the focus is on her strong brows, facial hair, long neck and formidable stare.

关注点在她的浓眉、唇上薄薄的髭、 修长的脖子和让人生畏的注视。

Such features remained,

这些特色保留了下来，

but Kahlo soon began to present herself in more unusual ways.

但是不久后，卡罗开始用一种 更加不寻常的方式呈现自己，

For example,

例如，

"The Broken Column" uses symbolism,

《断裂的脊柱》用到象征主义、

religious imagery and a ruptured landscape to reveal her physical and mental state.

宗教意象、以及破损的景观 来揭示她的身心状态。

In 1928, Kahlo started dating fellow painter Diego Rivera.

1928年，卡罗开始 和同为画家的迭戈·里维拉约会。

They became lifelong partners and cultivated an eccentric celebrity.

他们结为终身伴侣， 并获得了古怪的名声。

Together, they traveled the world and dedicated themselves to art,

他们一起环游世界并投身于艺术、

Communist politics and Mexican nationalism.

共产主义政治运动、 以及墨西哥民族主义。

Kahlo and Rivera shared a deep affinity with Mexicanidad,

卡罗和里维拉都是 “墨西哥文化认同运动”的支持者，

a movement which celebrated indigenous culture after the Revolution.

该运动在革命后提倡原住民文化 （1920-1940的文化革新运动）。

In her daily life, Kahlo wore traditional Tehuana dress

在日常生活中， 卡罗身着传统特瓦纳服饰，

and immersed herself in native spirituality.

并且将自己沉浸于民族精神中。

And in her work,

在她的作品中，

she constantly referenced Mexican folk painting,

她也常参考墨西哥民间绘画，

incorporating its bright colors

并将其明丽的颜色

and references to death, religion and nature.

和死亡、宗教、大自然结合起来。

With her imagery of giant floating flowers,

由于用到的意象 包括漂浮的巨型花朵，

undulating landscapes, transplanted body parts and billowing clouds of demons,

起伏的景色、移植的身体部位 以及游荡的恶魔，

Kahlo has often been associated with Surrealism.

人们提到卡罗，常常将她 与超现实主义联系在一起。

But while surrealists used dreamlike images to explore the unconscious mind,

但是由于超现实主义者会使用 梦境般的意象来探索潜意识，

Kahlo used them to represent her physical body and life experiences.

卡罗却用这些来代表 她的身体和人生经历。

Two of her most-explored experiences

卡罗最广为人道的经历

were her physical disabilities and her marriage.

是她的身体残疾和她的婚姻。

As a result of the bus accident,

由于公交车事故，

she experienced life-long health complications

她一生经历了健康方面的并发症，

and endured many hospitalizations.

还要忍受多次的住院治疗。

She often contemplated the physical and psychological effects

在她的作品中，她也常常思考

of disability in her work;

残疾带来的身心影响。

painting herself in agony,

她将自己描绘成身处痛苦、

recuperating from operations,

正从手术中恢复的形象，

or including objects such as her back brace and wheelchair.

又或是作品包括背部夹板 和轮椅这些物件。

Meanwhile, her relationship with Rivera was tempestuous,

同时，她同里维拉的关系 也跌宕起伏，

marked by infidelity on both sides.

双方都有过不忠行为。

At one point they even divorced,

他们一曾度离婚，

then remarried a year later.

一年后又复婚。

During this period,

在她离婚的这段时间里，

she painted the double self-portrait "The Two Fridas,"

她画了双重自画像《两个弗里达》，

which speaks to the anguish of loss and a splintered sense of self.

诉说了她失去的痛苦 和分裂的自我意识。

The Frida to the left has a broken heart,

左边的弗里达心碎了，

which drips blood onto her old-fashioned Victorian dress.

流下的血滴在了她的 旧式的维多利亚裙上。

She symbolizes a version of the artist who is wounded by the past–

这个弗里达代表了 被过往深深伤害的艺术家——

but is also connected by an artery to a second self.

但同时也由动脉 与第二个弗里达连接着，

This Frida is dressed in Tehuana attire–

这个弗里达穿着特瓦纳服饰——

and although she remembers Diego with the tiny portrait in her hand,

尽管她手中的小画像 代表她忘不掉迭戈，

her heart remains intact.

但她的心是完整无缺的。

Together, the two suggest a position caught between past and present,

两个弗里达一起 表现了她被困在现在与过去、

individuality and dependency.

独立与依赖这几者之间。

Kahlo died in 1954 at the age of 47.

1954年卡罗去世，享年47岁。

In the years after her death,

在她去世之后，

she experienced a surge in popularity that has lasted to this day.

她名气高涨，直至今日。

And although her image has proliferated,

尽管她的形象广为流传，

Kahlo’s body of work

但是卡罗的作品提醒我们，

reminds us that there are no simple truths

对于这个偶像背后的女人，

about the life, work and legacy of the woman behind the icon.

与之有关的人生、作品和遗产 从没有什么简单的真相。

Rather, she put multiple versions of her reality on display–

然而，她将自己 呈现给大家的数个版本——

and provided us with a few entry-ways into the contents of her soul.

让我们得以从数个角度， 能够窥探得到她的灵魂。