Frida Kahlo: The woman behind the legend - Iseult Gillespie

譯者: Lilian Chiu 審譯者: Bruce Sung

In 1925,

1925 年，

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

芙烈達卡蘿正在 從墨西哥市的學校回家途中，

when the bus she was riding collided with a streetcar.

她搭乘的巴士撞上了有軌電車。

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

她受了嚴重的傷，受傷部位 包括脊椎、骨盆，以及髖骨，

and was bedridden for months afterward.

意外後臥床了數個月。

During her recovery,

在恢復過程中，

she had a special easel attached to her bed

她的床邊裝設了一個特殊的畫架，

so she could practice painting techniques.

讓她能夠練習繪畫技巧。

When she set to work,

當她恢復工作時，

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

她開始根據她自己的所見來畫畫。

Over the course of her life,

在她一生中，

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

她成為不凡藝術的創作者 以及背後的靈感來源。

Though you may have met Kahlo's gaze before,

雖然你以前可能 有見過卡蘿的凝視，

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

但她的作品提供一個機會， 讓觀者透過她的眼睛來看世界。

She painted friends and family,

她畫的主題包括朋友和家人、 靜物畫和靈性的情景；

still lives and spiritual scenes;

but it was her mesmerizing self-portraits

但她那些讓人著迷的自畫像

which first caught the world’s attention.

才是最早讓全世界注意到的作品。

In an early work,

在她的早期作品 《絲絨裝扮自畫像》中，

"Self Portrait with Velvet Dress,"

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

焦點是在她堅毅的眉額、 面部的毛髮、

修長的脖子，及令人敬畏的注視。

Such features remained,

這些特徵一直延續下去，

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

但，沒多久，卡蘿就開始 用更不尋常的方式來呈現她自己。

For example,

比如，

"The Broken Column" uses symbolism,

《毀壞的圓柱》用到了 象徵性、宗教意象，

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

以及破裂的地景， 來表現她的身心狀態。

In 1928, Kahlo started dating fellow painter Diego Rivera.

1928 年，卡蘿開始和同為 畫家的迪亞哥里維拉約會。

They became lifelong partners and cultivated an eccentric celebrity.

他們成為一生的伴侶， 培養出古怪的名聲。

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

他們一起到世界各地 旅行，並投身藝術、

Communist politics and Mexican nationalism.

共產政治，以及墨西哥國家主義。

Kahlo and Rivera shared a deep affinity with Mexicanidad,

卡蘿和里維拉都傾向支持 墨西哥文化認同運動，

a movement which celebrated indigenous culture after the Revolution.

該運動在革命後提倡原住民文化。

In her daily life, Kahlo wore traditional Tehuana dress

在日常生活中， 卡蘿會穿傳統特瓦納服飾，

and immersed herself in native spirituality.

讓她自己沉浸在原住民的靈性當中。

And in her work,

在她的作品中，她常常會 參考墨西哥民間繪畫，

she constantly referenced Mexican folk painting,

incorporating its bright colors

整合它們的明亮顏色、

and references to death, religion and nature.

以及關於死亡、宗教， 和大自然的元素。

With her imagery of giant floating flowers,

因為會用到的意象 包括漂浮的巨型花朵、

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

起伏的地景、移植的身體部位， 以及惡魔的滾滾烏雲，

Kahlo has often been associated with Surrealism.

卡蘿常常被認為是超現實主義派。

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

不過，超現實主義派會用如夢般的 影像來探索無意識的心靈，

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

卡蘿卻是用它們來代表 她自己的實體以及人生經歷。

Two of her most-explored experiences

她的經歷中最常被拿出來探索的，

were her physical disabilities and her marriage.

是她身體的殘障以及她的婚姻。

As a result of the bus accident,

因為巴士的意外，

she experienced life-long health complications

她一生都有健康上的障礙，

and endured many hospitalizations.

且要忍受常常住院。

She often contemplated the physical and psychological effects

她常常把殘疾帶來的身心影響

of disability in her work;

放在她的作品當中；

painting herself in agony,

畫出痛苦的自己、

recuperating from operations,

從手術當中恢復，

or including objects such as her back brace and wheelchair.

或者放入一些物品， 比如她的背支架和輪椅。

Meanwhile, her relationship with Rivera was tempestuous,

同時，她和里維拉的 關係也是跌宕起伏。

marked by infidelity on both sides.

雙方都有出軌行為。

At one point they even divorced,

到一個時點，他們甚至離婚了，

then remarried a year later.

一年後又重新結婚。

During this period,

在這段時間，

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

她畫了雙重自畫像 《兩個芙烈達》，

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

呈現出失去的極度痛苦 和破碎的自我感受。

The Frida to the left has a broken heart,

左邊的芙烈達有破碎的心，

which drips blood onto her old-fashioned Victorian dress.

流下來的血滴到了她的 舊式維多利亞服飾上。

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

她象徵的是因為過去 而受傷的藝術家——

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

但也由一條動脈 連結到第二個自己。

This Frida is dressed in Tehuana attire–

這個芙烈達穿的是特瓦納服裝——

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

雖然從她手中的小畫像 可看出她還記得迪亞哥，

her heart remains intact.

她的心仍然完整無缺。

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

這兩個芙烈達合在一起， 表示她困在過去與現在之間，

individuality and dependency.

困在獨立和依賴之間。

Kahlo died in 1954 at the age of 47.

1954 年，卡蘿過世，享年 47 歲。

In the years after her death,

在她死後，

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

她的名氣高漲，一直持續到現今。

And although her image has proliferated,

雖然她的形象突然變得火熱，

Kahlo’s body of work

但她的作品提醒我們， 沒有簡單的真相，

reminds us that there are no simple truths

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

不論對於人生、工作，

以及這個偶像背後的 女人的遺產，皆是如此。

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

她展示出她的現實的數個版本——

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

提供我們幾條門道， 進入她靈魂的內含。