A famous artist and an active communist, during the years of Communism,Frida Kahlo did not live a very peaceful life. Instead, her life was greatly disturbed by various troubles.She was truly an international child who is a product of the melting pot of Mexican society.
Kahlo was born to a German national father Guillermo Kahlo, whomemigrated to Mexico in 1891 when he was 19 and Matilde Calderon y Gonzalez both of which are mixed blood and Hungarian Jews,although her mother was descended from Indian and Spanish blood.
Frida's father was a suscessful architectural photographer and an amateur artist who was commissioned tophotograph Mexico City's most important pre-Columbian and colonial architectural sites by the ruler,Porfirio Diaz. However when Diaz's rule fell to the 1910 Mexican Revolution, Guillermo was suddenly out of job. Work was difficult to come by then and he struggled to feed the family. "It was with great difficulty that a livelihood was earned in my house." said Frida during the interview. Guillermo was also an encouraging father who loved Frida dearly more than his other three.
At the age of six,Frida caught a dangerous disease called Polio, a disease which affects the brain and spine and can lead to partial or total paralysis. Fortunately, she survived after nine long months of confinement in her room at the Blue House, which was built in Coayoacaan for Guillermo's growing family. Still, Frida's right leg was withered and thin as a result of the disease. Despite of Frida's deformed leg, Guillermo encouraged her to play boyish sports like swimming, soccer, boxing and wrestling, those games were not played by girls during that time in Mexico. All those time,Frida wore 3-4 pairs of socks and a shoe with built up heel and sole to cover her legs but later in life she wore men's suit or flambuoyant peasant costumes with long skirts.
Polio took away alot of Friida's education but thankfullly for her excellent photographic memory, Frida just had to read a book once to remember everything. In fact, she found it easy to learn languages and could read and speak English, Spanish and German.
She was then enrolled into Escula Nacional Preparatoria, the best secondary school in Mexico, there she decided her ambition as a doctor.
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