Through her upbringing, Frida Kahlo has been exposed to several radical ideas of her time. She was raised during the turmoil of the Mexican Revolution and world wars.
Kahlo’s painting “Marxism Will Give Health to the Sick”, is one of several famous self portraits and one of her last. For most of her life, she experienced pain from several injuries caused by a tram accident early on. In the painting she is shown letting go of her crutches as she is being caressed and saved by God like hands symbolic of Marxism. The artist is holding a red book, the Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx to show her support of the political ideology and the Communist Party. In the background, there is a division of landscapes; utopia and dystopia. There are light blue streams of water and green grass on the left side while the right side is engulfed by red and orange fire. On the left, there are symbols of life such as the earth, moon, and a white dove. The opposing side has explosions and an image of Marx strangling a hybrid of an eagle and Uncle Sam which represents Marxist opposition to capitalism.
Frida Kahlo uses surrealism to depict fantasy, a myriad of symbols, and collage. Similar to several paintings of the Mexican Muralist movement, her painting captures naivety by believing that a political ideology can cure all illness and malice in the world.
