Art Throb #10: Self Portrait with Necklace of Thorns and Hummingbird (1940) by Frida Kahlo (1907-1954)

Frida Kahlo (1907-1954), Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, 1940

Oil on canvas, 62.2 x 48.3 cm.

Nickolas Muray Collection, Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center,

The University of Texas, Austin.

"I was considered a Surrealist. That's not right. I've never painted dreams. What I painted was my reality." - Frida Kahlo (1907 - 1954).

Also titled Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace, Hummingbird and Unibrow, this painting jumped out at me for the obvious reason that it contains a black cat which is hugely reminiscent of my little Vincenzo. I mean, it looks just like him, it really does. I'm always excited to see any cat, whether depicted in an artwork or otherwise, but especially one that looks like him.

With any artist, what they choose to depict must hold some sort of significance for them. That Kahlo chose to depict herself alongside these animals – the monkey, cat, hummingbird and butterflies – hints at the emotional value they held for her.

Animals were certainly dear to her – she had various pets, including monkeys, parrots, dogs and even a deer. That she gives them such prominence here, as equals, almost suggests they function as protectors, allies, guardians or kindred spirits. That her monobrow is mirrored in the shape of the hummingbird implies that she identified strongly with the vulnerable creature, presenting it as captured and imprisoned within that cage of thorns, while the butterflies, on the other hand, contain the hope of transformation. The animals also reflect a theme that runs through her entire oeuvre – her Mexican heritage. Many of her self portraits place her within the natural settings of her country, from sweeping Mexican desert landscapes to lush rainforests, as above. There appears to be an emphasis on the traditional world, as opposed to the modern. Certainly, the countryside seems to have inspired her more than the city.

Other themes include the difficulties of living within a broken body. It seems painting helped Frida Kahlo come to terms with the injuries she sustained in the tram crash when she was 18, and was something she could do from her bed. The now familiar visceral, gory bodily imagery – presented here as human flesh pierced with thorns and dripping with blood, and containing obvious religious connotations – are rendered in bold, bright colours, albeit with a controlled colour pallette. Highly personal and confessional, this is a painting that also engages boldly with gender politics: art was still a man's world, and women were expected to have children and become home-makers. Yet with her monobrow, moustache and ambiguous clothing, Kahlo presents herself here almost as half-man, half woman, asserting her right to be taken seriously as an artist – gender does not matter.

Kahlo's devotion to her cultural heritage also manifested itself in the traditional Mexican clothes she wore. Not only did her long dresses and skirts go against the fashions of the time (they also helped disguise the fact that one of her legs was longer than the other), but ensured she also personified her art. Those who are afraid to experiment with colour need look no further than Frida Kahlo for inspiration.

Andre Breton attempted to claim her as a fellow Surrealist, but this was to misunderstand her work. Mixtures of realism and symbolism, there's always much to explore in the work of Frida Kahlo.