“Girl With Death Mask” by Frida Kahlo

Credit: fridakahlo.org

As we approach Halloween and All Souls Day, it’s a fitting time to discuss one of Frida Kahlo’s more eerie paintings. One of the 20th-century’s most iconic artists, Kahlo was not shy about expressing grief and death on her canvases.

In her painting “Girl With Death Mask,” she leans in. This painting is rife with symbolism from her Mexican heritage. But you don’t have to know a thing about the symbolism or Kahlo to see that the artist was trying to cast light on some of the darker corridors of life.

Inspiration for “Girl With Death Mask”

Some people believe that “Girl with Death Mask” is a self-portrait, capturing Kahlo as a girl around the age of four. Others believe this piece was painted in mourning for the death of her baby due to a miscarriage. Regardless, this wasn’t Kahlo’s only painting about death as she was never too far from the afterworld.

Kahlo contracted polio when she was six years old. This led to a disability, which led to bullying. The subtitle of this painting is “She Plays Alone,” which certainly sounds like a nod to those years.

About 12 years later, Kahlo was in a bus accident. She was severely injured as a handrail impaled her pelvis and she spent about a month in the hospital. Kahlo struggled with her health for the rest of her life. She’s been described as someone who “lived dying.”

A self-portrait by Kahlo called “Thinking About Death.”
Credit: fridakahlo.org

Symbolism & Marigolds

“Girl With Death Mask” is rife with symbolism, the most obvious being skull on the face of the little girl. The skull mask, a common element in Mexican culture, is used during Dia de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) celebrations, symbolizing the connection between life and death. Death is celebrated on this day instead of mourned, although there is not an obvious celebratory tone in this piece. Until we look into the girl’s hands.

She is holding a lone marigold flower.  In Mexican tradition, marigolds play a central role in Dia de los Muertos, symbolizing the fragility of life and the remembrance of deceased loved ones. Their vibrant orange and yellow hues are believed to guide spirits back to the living during the holiday. Aztec tradition and Hinduism both hold marigolds in high regard due to their magical and purifying properties. Could this be the one seed of hope in an otherwise ghostly painting?

The tiger mask on the ground could be another, as it’s thought to help protect her against evil.

Whether this is a self-portrait or not, “Girl With Death Mask” mirrors the life of Frida Kahlo. Although she suffered many setbacks and endured a lifetime of pain, Kahlo seemed to be guided by otherworldly forces. And despite her untimely death at age 47, her life was touched by magic.