An introduction to the history of Frida Kahlo's time and place, her social and political influences, specifically Indigenismo, and how this context shaped her depiction of self.
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Frida Kahlo lived through a period of great social and political upheaval in her native Mexico. Embedded in this upheaval was a broader social movement that encouraged exploration of the self – who are we, where do we come from and where are we going? As with any individual, Kahlo’s life was shaped by joy and hardship, but her works are about this cultural movement and how it was experienced through her subjectivity.
This talk seeks to place Kahlo firmly in her historical context. She was a political activist, well aware of her place in history. By exploring her self-portraits we not only get an insight into her individual humanity, but we are provided with an important history of what it felt like to live in her time and place, Latin America in the middle of the 20th century.
Please be advised talk will introduce Kahlo's art and context with a critical eye, looking at the artist's relationship to the indigenismo movement of early 20th century Mexico and her sometimes problematic appropriation of Indigenous culture. The goal of the talk is to better understand how Kahlo's self-portraiture reaches far outside herself.
There are a multitude of ways Kahlo can be discussed, but please be aware this lecture is very focused on the ideas of Kahlo and Indigenismo and will be unable to cover all aspects of the artist's life, work and scholarly interpretations of her oeuvre.
What will we cover?
-The biography of Frida Kahlo
-The Indigenismo art and cultural movement in early 20th century Mexico as related to Kahlo's work
-The role of self-portraiture in artistic identity
What will I achieve? By the end of this course you should be able to...
-Broadly discuss the life of Frida Kahlo
-Better understand the cultural complexity of Kahlo's work
-Identify at least one key symbol of Mexican cultural identity present in Kahlo's work
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This course is open to all, no prior knowledge is required. However, please note: this is an introductory lecture, so those with extensive knowledge of Kahlo might find the materials basic.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
You will be taught with lecture and slide presentation. This course does not include an active discussion element, but there will be time for Q&A at the end of the session. This is a live lesson course - sessions are not recorded or available on demand for reasons of copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.
No documents will be shared during this session, but a reading list for future study will be shared at the end of the session (not before).
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
There are no additional costs.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Search for 'lunchtime lectures' to see all of the talks on offer in the coming year.
Sarah is an art historian, educator, curator and writer based in London. Before her current position as art history tutor coordinator and programme lead at City Lit Sarah was a curator in the Department of Prints and Drawings at the British Museum. For six years, she was the lead educator for the Bridget Riley Art Foundation and has also worked at Wellcome Collection exploring the connections of art, medicine and human experience. Sarah has been an art history lecturer since 2003. Her first MA was in art history, her second MA was in cultural studies and her BA (first) was in art history. Sarah's expertise is in late 19th/early 20th century French art, but is also a generalist, teaching on a variety of topics and prefers to place artworks and objects in their wider social and cultural contexts, from the European Renaissance to the contemporary, emphasising new narratives and approaches to Western Art History.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
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https://www.citylit.ac.uk/lunchtime-lecture-frida-kahlo-creating-identity2990141Lunchtime lecture: Frida Kahlo - creating identityhttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/l/u/lunchtime-lecture-frida-kahlo-creating-identity-vb958.png1414GBPInStock/Courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Introductory & general art history courses/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Courses/Online courses228511361137117717311228511771136<p>An introduction to the history of Frida Kahlo's time and place, her social and political influences, specifically <em>Indigenismo</em>, and how this context shaped her depiction of self. </p>002990138Lunchtime lecture: Frida Kahlo - creating identity1414https://www.citylit.ac.uk/media/catalog/product/l/u/lunchtime-lecture-frida-kahlo-creating-identity-vb958_1.pngInStockDaytimeWedOnlineAvailable coursesOne-off onlyWeekday2026-07-08T00:00:00+00:00Beginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allJul 2026Culture, history & humanitiesVB9581414Lunchtime lecture: Frida Kahlo - creating identity11914Sarah Jaffraylunchtime-lecture-frida-kahlo-creating-identity/vb958-2526<p>An introduction to the history of Frida Kahlo's time and place, her social and political influences, specifically <em>Indigenismo</em>, and how this context shaped her depiction of self. </p>0000-Available|2026-07-08 00:00:00<p>Frida Kahlo lived through a period of great social and political upheaval in her native Mexico. Embedded in this upheaval was a broader social movement that encouraged exploration of the self – who are we, where do we come from and where are we going? As with any individual, Kahlo’s life was shaped by joy and hardship, but her works are about this cultural movement and how it was experienced through her subjectivity. </p><p>This talk seeks to place Kahlo firmly in her historical context. She was a political activist, well aware of her place in history. By exploring her self-portraits we not only get an insight into her individual humanity, but we are provided with an important history of what it felt like to live in her time and place, Latin America in the middle of the 20th century. </p><p>Please be advised talk will introduce Kahlo's art and context with a critical eye, looking at the artist's relationship to the <em>indigenismo </em>movement of early 20th century Mexico and her sometimes problematic appropriation of Indigenous culture. The goal of the talk is to better understand how Kahlo's self-portraiture reaches far outside herself.</p><p>There are a multitude of ways Kahlo can be discussed, but please be aware this lecture is very focused on the ideas of Kahlo and <em>Indigenismo </em>and will be unable to cover all aspects of the artist's life, work and scholarly interpretations of her oeuvre.</p><p>An introduction to the history of Frida Kahlo's time and place, her social and political influences, specifically <em>Indigenismo</em>, and how this context shaped her depiction of self. </p><p>-The biography of Frida Kahlo</p><p>-The <em>Indigenismo </em>art and cultural movement in early 20th century Mexico as related to Kahlo's work</p><p>-The role of self-portraiture in artistic identity</p><p>-Broadly discuss the life of Frida Kahlo</p><p>-Better understand the cultural complexity of Kahlo's work</p><p>-Identify at least one key symbol of Mexican cultural identity present in Kahlo's work</p><p>This course is open to all, no prior knowledge is required. However, please note: this is an introductory lecture, so those with extensive knowledge of Kahlo might find the materials basic. </p><p>You will be taught with lecture and slide presentation. This course does not include an active discussion element, but there will be time for Q&A at the end of the session. <strong>This is a live lesson course</strong> - sessions are not recorded or available on demand for reasons of copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.</p><p>No documents will be shared during this session, but a reading list for future study will be shared at the end of the session (not before).</p><p>There are no additional costs.</p><p>Search for 'lunchtime lectures' to see all of the talks on offer in the coming year.</p>Art historyIntroductory & general art history coursesvirtual11149VB958NONEWed08/07/2613:00 - 14:0013:0014:001 session1One-off onlyDaytimeWeekdayOnlineOnlineSarah JaffrayBeginners, Some experience, Advanced, Suitable for allAvailable courses2026-07-08T00:00:00+00:00Jul 2026Culture, history & humanities1414Lunchtime lecture: Frida Kahlo - creating identitylunchtime-lecture-frida-kahlo-creating-identity/vb958-2526<p>An introduction to the history of Frida Kahlo's time and place, her social and political influences, specifically <em>Indigenismo</em>, and how this context shaped her depiction of self. </p>0000-Available|2026-07-08 00:00:00<p>Frida Kahlo lived through a period of great social and political upheaval in her native Mexico. Embedded in this upheaval was a broader social movement that encouraged exploration of the self – who are we, where do we come from and where are we going? As with any individual, Kahlo’s life was shaped by joy and hardship, but her works are about this cultural movement and how it was experienced through her subjectivity. </p><p>This talk seeks to place Kahlo firmly in her historical context. She was a political activist, well aware of her place in history. By exploring her self-portraits we not only get an insight into her individual humanity, but we are provided with an important history of what it felt like to live in her time and place, Latin America in the middle of the 20th century. </p><p>Please be advised talk will introduce Kahlo's art and context with a critical eye, looking at the artist's relationship to the <em>indigenismo </em>movement of early 20th century Mexico and her sometimes problematic appropriation of Indigenous culture. The goal of the talk is to better understand how Kahlo's self-portraiture reaches far outside herself.</p><p>There are a multitude of ways Kahlo can be discussed, but please be aware this lecture is very focused on the ideas of Kahlo and <em>Indigenismo </em>and will be unable to cover all aspects of the artist's life, work and scholarly interpretations of her oeuvre.</p><p>An introduction to the history of Frida Kahlo's time and place, her social and political influences, specifically <em>Indigenismo</em>, and how this context shaped her depiction of self. </p><p>-The biography of Frida Kahlo</p><p>-The <em>Indigenismo </em>art and cultural movement in early 20th century Mexico as related to Kahlo's work</p><p>-The role of self-portraiture in artistic identity</p><p>-Broadly discuss the life of Frida Kahlo</p><p>-Better understand the cultural complexity of Kahlo's work</p><p>-Identify at least one key symbol of Mexican cultural identity present in Kahlo's work</p><p>This course is open to all, no prior knowledge is required. However, please note: this is an introductory lecture, so those with extensive knowledge of Kahlo might find the materials basic. </p><p>You will be taught with lecture and slide presentation. This course does not include an active discussion element, but there will be time for Q&amp;A at the end of the session. <strong>This is a live lesson course</strong> - sessions are not recorded or available on demand for reasons of copyright, data protection and digital infrastructure.</p><p>No documents will be shared during this session, but a reading list for future study will be shared at the end of the session (not before).</p><p>There are no additional costs.</p><p>Search for 'lunchtime lectures' to see all of the talks on offer in the coming year.</p>Art historyIntroductory & general art history coursesconfigurable
11371136Introductory & general art history courseshttps://www.citylit.ac.uk/courses/humanities/art-history/introductory-general-art-history1/2/285/1177/1136/11371/Courses/Culture, history & humanities/Art history/Introductory & general art history courses
