Yinka Shonibare’s The Swing (2001) —a work that is a direct adapatation of
Jean-Honoré Fragonard’s L’Escarpolette (1767). Shonibare’s headless mannequin—an allusion to the downfall of the aristocracy post-French Revolution—is dressed in African print Dutch wax printed cotton dress, a historically burdened fabric that represents the diaspora and postcolonial hybridity that is central to his practice.
Frida Kahlo, The Two Fridas, 1939
Probably one of Kahlo’s more complex self-portraits, The Two Fridas is full of the usual symbolism and personal references typical of the Mexican Surrealist’s work. The piece was painted at the time of Kahlo’s divorce from her artist husband Diego Rivera. Clicking here will take you to ‘The Life and Times of Frida Kahlo’, where you can examine the painting section by section.
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