WEEK 3 Discussion Board - HIS 159 discussion section 1. History Essay

WEEK 3 Discussion Board - HIS 159 discussion section 1
Feminism, Anarchism and Art, 1920s & 1930s: Case Study the Life and Art of Frida Kahlo
Required reading: (read 2 of the following)
a. Pankl, Lis, and Kevin Blake. "Made in Her Image: Frida Kahlo as Material Culture." Material Culture 44, no. 2 (2012): 1-20.
b. Udall, Sharyn R "Frida Kahlo's Mexican Body: History, Identity, and Artistic Aspiration." Woman's Art Journal24, no. 2 (2003): 10-14.
c. Helland, Janice. "Aztec Imagery in Frida Kahlo's Paintings: Indigenity and Political Commitment." Woman's Art Journal 11, no. 2 (1990): 8-13.

Required viewing: Gallery Walk of the “Faces of Frida” https://artsandculture(dot)google(dot)com/project/frida-kahlo
The purpose of this assignment is two-fold:
Develop your skills at analyzing non-written sources (e.g. art work, material culture) to understand what they can tell us about a particular historical moment.
Differentiate your own original interpretation by appropriately citing the ideas of other scholars.
Your task in this week’s discussion board post is to apply at least one concept or argument from one of the assigned readings to interpret a material object from Frida Kahlo’s life (example, an object or room of her Casa Azul/Blue Home, a piece of clothing, a piece of her artwork, a photograph, etc.).

In your post, be sure to include a screenshot or upload an image of your chosen object/artwork in your post – it’s really hard to evaluate you interpretation if we can’t see what you’re analyzing!

Here’s an example of how to begin your post (& you’re welcome to use this model if want!):

In “Made in Her Image: Frida Kahlo as Material Culture,” the authors Lis Pankl and Kevin Blake argue ___________. I will apply their concept/framework/idea of __________ to analyze ____________. From here, you will develop an original reading or interpretation of your chosen object.

The readings this week are brief. Spend some time exploring the “Faces of Frida” site. You can take a virtual tour of her Casa Azul home (what does her kitchen tell us about her life?), you can look at nearly every museum collection of her work, and find a LOT of content on different aspects of her life and artistic career. You’re welcome to draw ideas from the articles on the website, but you must attribute their origin by citing the source appropriately!!

If you’re unsure how to analyze a visual object, look at the assigned readings and website content for models. But be careful to avoid simply reproducing another author’s interpretation (with or without attribution). Correct citation matters because it acknowledges the origin of an idea and then clearly differentiates between your ideas and those of others.


Example of a paraphrase that summarizes the author’s point in your own words:

In “How Frida Kahlo Fused Her Mexicanness with Socialism,” historian Alejandro Rosas contends that Frida Kahlo’s work is often mischaracterized as being about the Mexican Revolution.

Example of direct quote:

In “How Frida Kahlo Fused Her Mexicanness with Socialism,” historian Alejandro Rosas concludes that more so than the Mexican Revolution or socialist principles, “the origins of her creativity can be traced back to 1925, when the bus she was traveling home on one day was hit by a streetcar.”