Explanation:
the year 1940. In the year 1939, Kahlo and Diego Rivera were divorced and this was said to have an influence on the type of paintings that she did during this time.
She was also influenced by many of the Catholic Christian iconography found in Mexico, where there is an emphasis on the crucifixion and the bloody details of it. She had many of these types of Christian art in her home and many of her self portraits follow a similar train of thought.
Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr Eloesser is, as the title suggests, dedicated to the doctor who treated the pain that was in her right foot during her stay in San Francisco. In the painting, there is a necklace of thorns which appears to be drawing blood from her neck. She is wearing an earring that looks like a hand and it is upside down. There is another hand near the bottom of the painting holding a white ribbon with words that are not very legible. She is wearing an updo with flowers in her hair. Behind her there are some large brown leaves and twigs and the sky is cloudy and is part of the brown monochromatic colour scheme. This could be a reflection of the emotions she was experiencing during this time.
The colour scheme used in Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr Eloesser is also influenced by decorative arts that are commonly seen in Mexico.
The combination of hues tend to be very unusual in her paintings, but this is due to the unusual combinations that are seen in nature. One of her favourite inspirations is the bougainvillea which can have a number of purple, pink and yellow combinations in its flowers.
Even though the title of the painting is known as Self Portrait Dedicated to Dr Eloesser, the original title was Autorretrato Dedicado al Dr Eloesser.
The media used was oil on masonite. In all of her self portraits such as The Broken Column and Roots, her face is always serious and this painting is no exception.
The size of the painting is 59.5 x 40 cm.
