Frida Kahlo - photos by Nickolas Muray

  Right now, at the Fullerton Museum Center in Fullerton, California, there is an exhibit of photographs of Frida Kahlo.  Over the last several decades, Frida has become a cultural icon in Mexico.  Her image is represented in paintings, sculptures, and posters and is also found in hundreds of 'touristy' items sold in stores and by street vendors.

  Initially known only as the wife of Mexican artist, Diego Rivera, Frida began producing her own art in 1932, mostly self-portraits full of passion and pain based on her own personal struggles.  I read at the exhibit that her paintings currently command the highest prices of any artist in this hemisphere.

   The photos in this exhibit were taken by Nickolas Muray, a well-known photographer in the 1930s and 1940s who pioneered color portraiture in photography.  When he met Frida in 1931, they began a romance that would last for the next ten years.  These photos from his collection reveal his mastery of his craft as well as his personal love for his subject, Frida Kahlo.

   For local readers, I highly recommend a visit to the Fullerton Museum Center to see this exhibit, which is ending Sunday, November 20.  The photos below are only a small display of Nickolas Muray's collection.

Titled 'Frida on White Bench'  1939

Titled 'Frida on Rooftop,' taken in New York City when Frida came to the United States for back surgery.  She suffered throughout her life from injuries she sustained in her youth in a bus accident.

Frida kept a menagerie of animals in her home.

Frida.  Frida.  Frida.

Photo taken at Frida's home in Coyoacán, Mexico.  1940

Photos of Frida's paintings - the original still life painting on the right was a gift from her to Nickolas.

Frida dressed almost exclusively in colorful Tehuana costumes (traditional dress of Zapotec women) which complimented her own striking features.

Her hair was often styled with flowers.

A classic photograph of Frida Kahlo with her husband, Diego Rivera.  1941

Fullerton has several large hearts on display in its downtown that have been decorated by local artists.  This  heart, across from the museum, presents a Mexican theme fitting to the exhibit.

Esteban Valdez, a Living Treasure of San Miguel de Allende

   Marlene, our friend and also a local resident, is tour guide as we set out to Pantoja to find Rancho Las Flores, the home (campo) of Esteban Valdez, San Miguel de Allende's 'master' potter.

   San Jose de Pantoja is a small village outside of San Miguel de Allende.  There are only a few hundred people and it's very rural--roads are dirt and there's dust in the summer and much mud in the winter.  It's understatement to say that Rancho Las Flores is 'off the beaten path.'  In fact, I can hardly believe that Marlene finds it.  There are no signs and all roads look the same to me.


   Esteban Valdez, now in his mid 80s, is a self-taught potter who creates simple clay bowls with primitive, fanciful designs of animals.  His bowls are collected by many and I've read that one of his pieces is part of a collection at the Smithsonian.  These bowls are sold at several locations in San Miguel, but coming to his home and studio to purchase is a special opportunity.


   We learn that to make his bowls, Sr. Valdez uses clay from the nearby river.  He begins to form the clay on a large flat rock that he says was given to him by his father when he was a child.  He then uses molds to form his bowls, and takes a hair from his donkey's tail to trim the edges.  The dark pigment he uses to paint his designs is made from pieces of soft coal mashed and mixed with water.  He fires the pottery in a simple kiln with four brick walls and a sheet metal roof at about 1800 degrees.


   Sr. Valdez says that his grown children are not interested in learning his skills of making  ceramics, so sadly, when he dies, there will be no one to carry on.
        

Marlene in front of the campo of Esteban Valdez.  His vocation as a potter is unique. The town's main industry is brick making.

Max and I get to have our picture taken with Esteban Valdez and his wife

Esteban and his wife at the door of their studio where finished bowls are stored.  He is in his mid 80s and there is no one to carry on his pottery-making tradition.

One of the large bowls, El Pato (The Duck).  E.V. initials are found on many of the pieces

Small bowl - maybe a monkey, maybe a cat, maybe.....

Another large bowl decorated with a whimsical stag

These bowls didn't survive the firing in the kiln.

As we leave Pantoja, we see this lovely iglesia, colorfully decorated; also with a new concrete pad and benches, possibly for multiple activities in the community.