STORY AND PHOTO BY KAREN BOSSICK
Frida Kahlo, whom some consider the most famous recognizable female artist in the world, will be the subject of a free Art Talk on Friday, Sept. 16.
Art educator Kathryn Zupsic will explore “The Life and Art of Frida Kahlo,” at 7 p.m. at Hailey Town Center West next to the Hailey Public Library, which organized the talk. The talk will be in English and simultaneously translated into Spanish by Leonardo Padilla Sacha.
The presentation will illustrate how Kahlo consciously created her own iconic image. A complex person, she suffered from polio at 6 and survived a near-fatal accident at 18 that left her in constant pain. But she was fiercely determined to live a rich full life and, so, she began dressing in flamboyant indigenous Mexican styles, married the famous artist Diego Rivera and taught herself to paint.
While she tried to hide what was going on in the inside, her deeply personal paintings reveal her true physical and emotional states.
The talk is part of a three-part series of Art Talks celebrating Hispanic icons of modern art. It is also part of the Hispanic Heritage Festival being held Friday and Saturday, Sept. 16-17, at Hailey Town Square. The festival, which will feature music, dance and food, is being held in honor of the national Hispanic Heritage Month, which runs through Oct. 15.
Kristin Fletcher said the library is honored to recognize the tremendous contributions made by great Hispanic artists.
“Kathryn is a vibrant and engaging speaker,” she added.
The second talk will feature “Diego Rivera--Mexican Painter and Muralist” on Sept. 23. The final presentation, “Chicano Visions: Paintings form the Cheech Marin Center for Chicano Art and Culture,” will be held Sept. 30. All talks will start at 7 p.m. at Town Center West in Hailey.
Zupsic has worked as a docent and lecturer for the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and the de Young Museum. She specializes in modern art from Frida Kahlo to pop art to the art of the tattoo.