Training Your Eyes

In the painting titled The Love Embrace of the Universe, the Earth (Mexico), Diego, Me, and Se_ñ_or Xolotl, the center of the image is dominated with recursive embraces. Five figures are present in the image, all in some manner of embrace or comfort. First, at the center of the painting, is a naked Diego Rivera with a third eye, being embraced by Frida Kahlo. Diego is in a classic baby pose, as if Frida was soothing a child, rocking him to sleep. In his hands, he appears to be holding a flame. Diego’s face is calm, and he gazes directly at the viewer of the painting. The image of Frida is clothed in a red dress, which fans out below Diego, ending in a wide, white trim along the hem. Frida also gazes out directly at the viewer, her expression not betraying any emotion. However, there is one tear under each eye if one looks closely, perhaps signifying a pensiveness. Her heart area shows are red lines erupting out, almost as if they are fireworks falling back to the earth after exploding. It appears as if smoke is drifting up from her heart, wrapping around Frida’s neck. There is a strip of mottled yellow running above the collar of her dress and then down her left side, reminding me of the yellow sulfur mines shown in photographs from Indonesia.

Behind these two prominent figures is a female figure support Diego and Frida on their right, placing her left hand on Diego’s right leg. She is green, with a blank expression. Above her left breast, a tree sprouts from her chest and what looks like a canyon starts from her right shoulder, terminating at her left nipple. From her nipple is a sole drop of what may be water or milk. Surrounding all three figures is cacti and foliage, alive and thriving.

Lastly, in the background, there is an ephemeral image of a god-like being, made up of clouds on the right side of the painting and brown and black swirls on the left, which may portray night. Large hands wrap around in front at the bottom forefront of the painting, encircling the figures already explained. In front the clouds, a reddish orange orb, swirling with paint strokes, hangs in the sky, perhaps to signify the sun. Embedded in the brown color is a smaller, lighter colored orb, more than likely the moon from the night sky. The two hands that come from this ethereal god are both brown and green and roots sprout from each forearm. An animal, which appears to be a dog, lies in repose, his one eye open looking down at the leaves beneath his head.

Overall, this painting seems to focus on Diego. His white skin is what most immediately stands out, his central placement, and the fact that all the other beings, which are female, are shown to embrace and support him. There is also a sadness to the piece; the tears and stoic faces, with the earthy, muted colors—even the red of Frida’s dress is a subdued clay color—evokes melancholy. I was initially drawn to this painting for the dynamic layering of subjects and the duality of the background. The painting immediately evoked depth and movement, all while being rooted in the earth. But having gone through the process of describing the painting, the piece now makes me incredibly sad. It is as if Frida has invoked Mother Earth and the Universe to help fulfill Diego’s need, yet there is no evidence of her own fulfillment in the painting.

Works Cited

Herrera, Hayden. Frida Kahlo: The Paintings. 1991.