Frida Kahlo's Sexuality As Identity: The Power Of Gender Identity

Sexuality as Identity: The Power of Gender Roles Identity is frequently considered to be the defining factor of a person or object; typically as a whole, the multifaceted nature of identity is often overlooked. Contemporary movements focusing on ethnicity, gender inequality, and sexual orientation, among others, have encouraged the discussion of these aspects of humanity. Particularly through artistic expression, such topics are able to be addressed both in a manner that is personal, yet removed enough for the audience to respond while drawing upon their own backgrounds. Despite the six year gap between Frida Kahlo's death and Glenn Ligon's birth, both artists' primary concern is identity, as seen in Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair and Notes

Characterized by bold, simplified shapes and color, as well as the Aztec tradition of vivid symbolism, Kahlo continued the revolutionary spirit of retablos in her visual discussions of gender and sexuality. Though often considered to be a part of the surrealist movement, she instead insisted that her creations were simply "the most frank expression of myself", and likely her opinion. This statement grew to be increasingly relevant upon the creation of Self-Portrait with Cropped Hair, a response to the 1939 divorce with husband and fellow artist Diego Rivera. The role of women in society becomes increasingly important with this work as the characteristics and responsibilities of the 'finer sex' dwelled in the realm of physical vulnerability and homemaking. Surrealist leader Andre Breton inadvertently recognized the sexism Kahlo was working to address when he described her work as "a ribbon around a bomb" (MoMA

1960) is an American painter, sculptor, and appropriation artist who incorporates his personal identity in the methods of his works. His future interests in the history of slavery and the civil rights movement were encouraged by the prevalence of the black community in the his childhood borough of the Bronx, experiencing both the beginnings of racial equality while still facing the racism that was so prevalent in the United States at that time. Spending his formative years in the Bronx, New York served as the greatest influence upon his identity not only as an African-American, but as an African-American male who was also gay. At that time, New York law prohibited openly displaying homosexuality in public, ultimately allowing for raids of underground gay establishments and for arrests in the community. Such laws were the basis for inciting the 1969 Stonewall Inn Riots, named for the Greenwich Village gay bar called the Stonewall Inn. Patrons had grown intolerable of the police harassment and formed a demonstration, which attracted upwards of 1000 of the lgbt community and its supporters over the course of the day. This movement spurred discussions of civil rights and encouraged the formation of the Gay Liberation Front, despite its short lifespan. The first gay pride parades held in the U.S. occurred on the 1st anniversary of the Riots, with the cities of Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, and New York City participating (Leadership Conference on Human and