More results...
Style
Media
Heritage
Gender
Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist known for her self-portraits that often depicted her physical and emotional pain. Born in 1907, she was mostly self-taught and began painting after a bus accident left her with multiple injuries. Her work was heavily influenced by Mexican culture and tradition, and often included symbolism and surreal elements.
Despite her relatively short career, Kahlo's work has had a significant impact on contemporary art and feminist movements. She has become a feminist icon and her work continues to be celebrated and recognized around the world.
The children will emulate Frida Kahlo by creating oil pastel art, featuring colorful parrots and fruit, imitate her national pride and vibrant colors. Be sure to click through the student masterpieces at the top of this page.
I appreciate the program package that you offer. It has been helpful for us in our school to provide such a broad exposure to artists and genres. I’ve experienced many different methods of art instruction in various schools I’ve served.
I’ve just completed my first year at my school as principal and this has been very valuable program for us.
Buy a track of 7 artists and teach all year long.
*Art supplies and teacher/volunteer training DVDs can be added to your order.
In light of the injuries Frida Kahlo had suffered as a result of the bus accident, she learned how to paint in a hospital bed using the mirror hanging above her bed to look at her face. That is where the idea behind Frida Kahlo style of art began: a highly personal and symbolic form of self-portraiture that embraces Mexican traditions, as well as the artist’s unapologetic portrayal of pain that other artists choose to avoid altogether. Instead of masking her experiences, she openly embraced them, and that is one reason her paintings remain so candid many years after they were painted. Every Frida Kahlo lesson for kids must address her straightforwardness, albeit in less intense terms.
Whereas most programs would dive head-first into painting their own self-portraits, Meet the Masters begins by delving into Mexican culture and heritage, concepts which can be found in almost everything that Frida painted. Props to aid in dressing up will create a suitable atmosphere for students even before they lay a hand on the pastels, allowing them to understand the color and heritage involved in the artwork before they attempt to copy it. This introduction is especially important because it helps students understand why she paints this way.
The main project has students build a Mexican-style still life featuring parrots and fruit, worked entirely in oil pastel. A few things make this Frida Kahlo artwork for kids exercise distinct from other still-life lessons:
These Frida Kahlo activities for kids help students exercise individual choice in colors and composition, rather than basing everything on a single image, which keeps the results different from each other.
Of all the Frida Kahlo art lessons a teacher gives throughout their career, this lesson is one students will remember because it ties technique, identity, and culture together, rather than treating the project as a pure skill exercise. Students often remember the story behind the art long after the finished piece comes home, which isn’t always true of lessons built around technique alone. That’s part of why Frida Kahlo elementary art lessons show up again and again across different grade levels, often revisited with more depth as students get older.
FAQ
She began painting during a long recovery from a bus accident, using a mirror to study her own reflection.
Her self-portraits and still-life paintings featuring fruit, animals, and Mexican symbolism.
Her still-life works with parrots and fruit, which reflect national pride and tradition.
Oil pastels, used to build color, texture, and layered shapes in a still-life composition.
A colorful still life of parrots and fruit, built with bold color and overlapping shapes.
