Women have often been in the background of art history being recognized and heralded as masterpiece painters only after their death. The unrecognized fame of women occurred in every country where oil painting had become popular, including Mexico. Artist Frida Kahlo was one such woman. Under appreciated in her time, Kahlo created oil paintings that brought fame and recognition to the Mexican nation long after her death.

Frida Kahlo was born in Coyoacán, Mexico, in 1907. Her father was a German and her mother a native Mexican. Her childhood took place during the Mexican revolution so at an early age she was exposed to danger and violence, occurrences which may have influenced some of her themes. Pain soon became a companion in her life as she was struck with Polio at the age of six. The disease left one leg smaller than the other, a trait she usually hid under billowing skirts.

Her next incident of pain came in 1925 when she was in violent bus accident that left her with many broken/crushed bones and internal injuries. During her recovery time in full body cast, Kahlo took up painting (using a specialized easel created by her mother) and created several early self-portraits that reflected the pain she was feeling. Although she made a full recovery, the pain never totally left her; as an adult she was periodically plagued with severe pain from her past injuries.

As her skill improved she sought out advice from the man that would one day be her husband, Diego Rivera, a famed painter. Because of her injuries Kahlo had to undergo repeated surgeries, which resulted in more pain. What is more, her marriage to Rivera and fraught with difficulty which caused her some physiological pain. These two pains were her great themes. Her canvas paintings were not a reflection of her hopes or dreams; they were a reflection of the reality of her everyday life. Although she did receive some recognition for her oil paintings, most of the fame went to her husband. But in 1939, she received the flattering invitation to attend a showing of her work in Paris at the Louvre. Her painting The Frame was the first Mexican painting that the Louvre ever purchased.

Throughout her lifetime, Kahlo continued painting images that reflected her marital problems and her pain. These images, captivating in themselves, also contained native Mexican imagery and colors and religious themes. Her oil paintings are the visual record of her life; a life bound by pain, filled with emotional stress and driven by passion. Since her death in 1954, Frida Kahlo oil paintings have gained great popularity and fame. Her childhood home was transformed into a museum and she is remembered worldwide for her riveting work which portrays not only her own feelings, but a deep and rich strain of Mexican culture.

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