A Border Within: An Analysis of the Influence of Frida Kahlo on the Art of Chicana Artist Yreina D. Cervántez
Academic Level at Time of Presentation
Senior
Major
Spanish, Chemistry
Minor
Biology
List all Project Mentors & Advisor(s)
Tanya Romero-González
Presentation Format
Oral Presentation
Abstract/Description
The influence of Frida Kahlo on Chicana art cannot be disputed, it is as looking at the artwork as it is through the writings of the artists themselves. However, the concept of identity is not as clearly explored in conjunction with the effect Kahlo has on modern day Chicana artists. The word Chicana is a self-identifier with a complicated history. In this research project, the term Chicana refers to Americans with Mexican descent. My paper addresses this concept of Mexican-American identity while focusing on a Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, and her influence on the Chicana artist, Yreina Cervántez. I also address more broadly the concept of identity in Chicana culture and how it is impacted by Frida Kahlo and her image in the United States. To form this argument, I analyzed paintings from both Kahlo and Cervántez’s bodies of work, as well as by utilizing quotes and writings from the time in which the works were completed and analysis afterwards. The works I chose include “Autorretrato en la frontera entre México y EE. UU.” and “Hospital Henry Ford,” both by Kahlo, and “Homenaje a Frida Kahlo” by Yreina Cervántez. Although the circumstances around Kahlo’s fame and influence are complicated and layered, I argue that one of the reasons Chicana art is not as fully appreciated is due to the nature of the identity itself, and the struggle that comes from being from two distinct communities.
Spring Scholars Week 2019 Event
GLT/Modern Languages Senior Colloquium
A Border Within: An Analysis of the Influence of Frida Kahlo on the Art of Chicana Artist Yreina D. Cervántez
The influence of Frida Kahlo on Chicana art cannot be disputed, it is as looking at the artwork as it is through the writings of the artists themselves. However, the concept of identity is not as clearly explored in conjunction with the effect Kahlo has on modern day Chicana artists. The word Chicana is a self-identifier with a complicated history. In this research project, the term Chicana refers to Americans with Mexican descent. My paper addresses this concept of Mexican-American identity while focusing on a Mexican artist, Frida Kahlo, and her influence on the Chicana artist, Yreina Cervántez. I also address more broadly the concept of identity in Chicana culture and how it is impacted by Frida Kahlo and her image in the United States. To form this argument, I analyzed paintings from both Kahlo and Cervántez’s bodies of work, as well as by utilizing quotes and writings from the time in which the works were completed and analysis afterwards. The works I chose include “Autorretrato en la frontera entre México y EE. UU.” and “Hospital Henry Ford,” both by Kahlo, and “Homenaje a Frida Kahlo” by Yreina Cervántez. Although the circumstances around Kahlo’s fame and influence are complicated and layered, I argue that one of the reasons Chicana art is not as fully appreciated is due to the nature of the identity itself, and the struggle that comes from being from two distinct communities.