Sin Esperanza (Without Hope) by Frida Kahlo

Sin Esperanza (Without Hope) By Frida Kahlo (1945)

         "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger," says a famous adage that has inspired many people who've struggled. In Frida's case, what doesn't kill you inspires you. Frida endured a lot of physical hardships in her lifetime. When she was five years old, she got polio. She was often sickly, and died in her 40's. Even in the midst of pain, she succeeded in making beautiful art. Once when Frida was seriously ill, she had to be fed strained foods because she had no appetite. She painted how she felt on this in her painting, Sin Esperanza.         

        The painting has an unusual texture, with an almost scratchy look. It shows Frida Kahlo laying in bed, crying, with a ladder that holds meat, fruits, vegetables, a cat, and a skull. A tube connected to those things went into her mouth. Around this scene are grass and mountains, with the sun and moon in the sky.

         Some have described this as scary, disturbing, even; I can see why. To me, it shows struggle. So many people go through things in their lives that forever haunt them. They may be ashamed or afraid to let them out. Frida painted how she felt. She displayed the torturous feeling of being force-fed.  Maybe this was meant for her to connect to alone. She seems almost trapped beneath her sheets, maybe by her weakness. Its kind of odd that she painted a pleasant scene around her, because she was most likely spending her sick days inside. Perhaps she wanted to be free of her illness. This painting gives me a liberating feeling, because I've been weak while I was sick, and all I wanted to do was feel the freedom of being healthy.