Kahlo v. Rembrandt before referencing Rembrandt and Kahlo -- a comparative and contrasting study of two self-portraits

Both Rembrandt van Rijn and Frida Kahlo were artists who redefined the subject matter and style of painting for their respective generations. Although profoundly different in their sensibilities, historical circumstances, and personalities, both of these artists tackled the difficult task of fashioning an image of themselves upon canvas. Rembrandt, in fact, was particularly famous for painting and repainting his image, at different junctures of his life (Martin & Jacobus 93). Rembrandt's 1659 oil canvas entitled simply "Self-Portrait" is characteristic of the unadorned, spare style of portraiture that defined this Dutch artist's realistic style. In contrast, the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's oil-on-masonite "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" of 1940 is a surrealist flight of fancy that aims to create a psychic, rather than a literal self-portrait.

Rembrandt's desire to focus the gazer's eye solely on the artist's physical self is manifest in the fact that his "Self-Portrait" only consists of a foreground and background. There is a deliberate lack of complexity in the dark background, which directs the viewer's attention solely to the artist's image. In contrast, Kahlo's foreground of her face and the tropical animals and plants is set against a wild array of leaves and greenery. The lighter leaf against Kahlo's image trains the viewer's eye to the middle ground of...

Rembrandt was considered revolutionary in his day because of his lack of idealism. He paints his bulbous nose, his wrinkles, without deteriorating into grotesqueness, or trying to cover up his flows. Rather, he is fascinated by his flaws but does not revel in them. He exposes them for what they are and makes them into an object of objective artistic study and scrutiny. Kahlo's surrealism attempts a portraiture of the artist's inner, dream life rather than an exterior realism, and the monkey and the cat that evidently preoccupy Kahlo's mind are shown, and given as much emphasis as the construction of Kahlo's face.
Although Rembrandt's style is not surrealistic like Kahlo, his painting still contains some symbolism, but far more muted symbolism. Unlike Kahlo's animal iconography, his symbolism is far easier to interpret because of its straightforward nature. For example, Rembrandt includes a featured hand in his portrait, representing his life as an artist. In Kahlo, it takes closer examination to understand how the dragonflies and butterflies of the painting resemble freedom and a desire to transcend the physical pain Kahlo suffered in life (Martin & Jacobus 95). The thorns and…