''The Broken Column'' (''La Columna Rota'' in
Spanish
Spanish might refer to:
* Items from or related to Spain:
**Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain
**Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries
**Spanish cuisine
Other places
* Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
) is an
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
on
masonite
Masonite is a type of hardboard, a kind of engineered wood, which is made of steam-cooked and pressure-molded wood fibers in a process patented by William H. Mason. It is also called Quartrboard, Isorel, hernit, karlit, torex, treetex, and ...
painting by
Mexican artist
Frida Kahlo, painted in 1944 shortly after she had spinal surgery to correct on-going problems which had resulted from a serious traffic accident when she was 18 years old. The original is housed at the
Museo Dolores Olmedo in
Xochimilco
Xochimilco (; nci, Xōchimīlco, ) is a borough (''demarcación territorial'') of Mexico City. The borough is centered on the formerly independent city of Xochimilco, which was established on what was the southern shore of Lake Xochimilco in th ...
, Mexico City, Mexico.
As with many of her self-portraits, pain and suffering is the focus of the work, though unlike many of her other works, which include parrots, dogs, monkeys and other people,
in this painting, Kahlo is alone. Her solitary presence on a cracked and barren landscape symbolizes both her isolation and the external forces which have impacted her life. As an earthquake might fissure the landscape, Kahlo's accident broke her body.
In the painting Kahlo's nude torso is split, replicating the ravine-laced earth behind her and revealing a crumbling,
Ionic column
The Ionic order is one of the three canonic orders of classical architecture, the other two being the Doric and the Corinthian. There are two lesser orders: the Tuscan (a plainer Doric), and the rich variant of Corinthian called the composite ...
in place of her spine. Her face looks forward, unflinchingly, though tears course down her cheeks. In spite of the brokenness of her internal body, her external sensuality is unmarred. The cloth which wraps the lower part of her body and is grasped in her hands, is not a sign of modesty but instead mirrors the Christian iconography of Christ's sheet, as do the nails which are piercing her face and body. The nails continue down only her right leg which was left shorter and weaker from contracting polio as a young child.
The
metal corset
Metal corsets (also known as iron corsets) are a type of historical corset or bodice made entirely out of metal, usually iron or steel. The metal corset was popularly claimed to have been introduced to France by Catherine de' Medici in the 16th ...
, which depicts a polio support, rather than a surgical support,
may refer to her history of
polio
Poliomyelitis, commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 70% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe s ...
or symbolize the physical and social restrictions of Kahlo's life. By 1944, Kahlo's doctors had recommended that she wear a steel corset instead of the plaster casts she had worn previously. The brace depicted is one of many that Frida actually used throughout her life time and is now housed in her home and museum, Casa Azul. In ''The Broken Column'' this corset holds together Kahlo's damaged body.
Kahlo as a martyr
![Sodoma 003](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/91/Sodoma_003.jpg)
One can draw a parallel from Kahlo’s portrayal of herself to that of the “Martyrdom of
Saint Sebastian
Saint Sebastian (in Latin: ''Sebastianus''; Narbo, Gallia Narbonensis, Roman Empire c. AD 255 – Rome, Italia, Roman Empire c. AD 288) was an early Christian saint and martyr. According to traditional belief, he was killed during the Diocle ...
.”
[O’Neill, ''The Broken Column'', 1031. ] In Sebastian's legend, he was discovered to be a Christian and tied to a tree and used as an archery target. Despite being left for dead he survives, only to later perish for his religion by the hands of the Imperial Roman. He is often portrayed tied to a tree, body littered with arrows. An American poet by the name of Bruce Bond explains “pain is an arrow that pins a body to the bone” in a 2013 poem named after the Saint.
[Bond, "Saint Sebastian," 679.] Frida aligns herself with the martyr visually, and being raised in a Catholic home she would have been familiar with the patron saint of soldiers.
Desmond O’Neill, a physician writing for the ''
British Medical Journal'', describes Frida’s work as a vital tool in the understanding of pain in patients. The doctor commends Frida’s ability to portray the intangible feeling of chronic pain. In this way she becomes a martyr for those plagued by chronic pain. In her willingness to bare her soul to the viewer allows for a greater understanding of what it means to live with constant and intense pain. Though pain is all around us we lack the ability to “grasp or express it,” Frida Kahlo is the exception to the problem of portraying pain.
[
]
References
Sources
*Bond, Bruce. "Saint Sebastian." ''The Southern Review'', no. 4 (2013): 679.
*
*Kardos, Michael. "Casa Azul - Frida Kahlo's Home." A City a Month. Last modified November 15, 2015. http://acityamonth.com/casa-azul-frida-kahlos-home-for-life/.
*
*
*O’Neill, Desmond. “''The Broken Column'' by Frida Kahlo.” BMJ: ''British Medical Journal'' 342, no. 7805 (May 7, 2011): 1031.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Broken Column
Paintings by Frida Kahlo
1944 paintings
Self-portraits