Dos Mujeres (Two Women) is the 16th painting by the pioneering Mexican artist Frida Kahlo. Painted by Kahlo in 1928, it measures 69 x 53 cm (27 3/8″ x 21″), oil on canvas, and is prominently displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston in “The Americas” section. It is a double-portrait of Salvadora and Herminia, two of her mother’s maids in the Casa Azul where Kahlo grew up (BMFA wall text). Although she is remembered primarily for her gripping self portraits, Kahlo’s choice of a soft color scheme and noble composition of Dos Mujeres is a gentle treatment of two treasured members of the Kahlo household.
Inspired by the work of her husband, Diego Rivera, “Frida began depicting Mexican Indian women with strong, dignified, impassive faces” (Herrera 50). Salvadora and Herminia look away to their right, creating three-quarter views with their facial features prominently displayed, almost mirror images of each other. At the center of the portrait is Herminia, a young woman who appears to be around twenty years old. She wears a blue dress with white trim, and a hoop earring hangs from her left ear. Behind her and to the left is Salvadora, a woman perhaps forty years old, wearing a yellow dress and dark shawl, and no visible jewelry. The focus is on Herminia, with her shining pink cheeks, youth and beauty. Kahlo has painted a delicate shadow over Herminia’s upper lip, suggesting the slightest mustache. By contrast, Salvadora’s face appears to be an older version of the same facial features, with a darker complexion.
Kahlo’s attention to detail is in exquisite form in her composition of this painting. Each leaf, each shadow and form are deliberately painted with a crisp, polished quality. Herminia’s face seems to pop out of the painting, while Salvadora, although taller, is the secondary focus. Kahlo is also experimenting with duality: In addition to the two women, two apples stand out, polished and shiny, among the leaves above Herminia. Two butterflies, one on the upper left and one on the lower right, appear to be insect reflections of the women. One butterfly is yellow, the other is blue – the same colors the women are wearing. One can only wonder what they represent.
Dos Mujeres portrays its subjects with anatomically correct proportions. Unlike her later work in which she used outrageous primary colors, Kahlo’s color palette is restrained for this piece. At first glance the viewer sees medium tones of greens, yellows and blues that blend well, with Herminia’s soft, warm face in the middle of the frame. There does not appear to be any texture other than that of the canvas itself. When the viewer stands inches from the painting, the leaves take on an almost graphic quality in the intensity of their lines, shadows and highlights. Kahlo pays as much attention to her subjects, carefully painting each eyebrow hair, each nuance and curve of the cheek. Herminia’s earring is perfectly round, while the dark eyes and full lips of both women seem to create a hint of dignity, despite their expressionless faces. They do not acknowledge the viewer, since their gaze is fixed off to their right.
The painting is displayed in the middle of the room so the viewer can see both the front and back, and is illuminated by discreet LED fixtures. The canvas is so thin, the light and dark qualities of the painting can be seen from the other side. This painting was the first that Kahlo sold, to Jackson Cole Philips, an American engineer, for 300 pesos in 1929 – approximately $224 dollars in today’s currency (Online Monetary Conversion Sites). From the inscription on the back, “A Most Enjoyable Evening” she was clearly delighted. Kahlo had a small party and she, along with all her guests including Philips, signed the back of the painting (BMFA wall text). The portrait is intact, with some minute damage where the paint is cracked in short segments. This could be due to any extreme condition over the last 90 years.
While Kahlo is mainly associated with her emotional self portraits filled with eye-grabbing color, Dos Mujeres is an early example of Kahlo’s attention to detail and focus on nature. Since her subjects were a cherished part of the family, she may have chosen a subdued color palette in order to focus on her relationship with the women, as beloved members of the Kahlo household.
Works Cited
Herrera, Hayden, “Frida Kahlo: The Paintings,” HarperCollins Publishers, 1991
Online Monetary Conversion sites:
Historical Currency Conversions, “Convert the Historical Buying Power of USD,” https://futureboy.us/fsp/dollar.fsp
MConvert.net, “Mexican Pesos to US Dollars,” http://mxn.mconvert.net/usd/300
Wall Text and Label, 2015-3130, Dos Mujeres, “The Americas,” Boston Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, Massachusetts, 2015
For a brief essay about Frida Kahlo, click here.
