Most times artists stylize their landscapes and surroundings to beautify their society or region. And other times, artist keep the setting as real as they see it, not only to depict raw honesty but to shed light on the actual society in which they live. Frida Kahlo, a painter of Mexican and Hungarian descent shows a landscape of her own mind but in a cross society of two cultures in Self-Portrait at the Border between Mexico and the United States.Robert Henri, of the Ashcan School, prided themselves with portrayal of harsh hardships American living for the middle and lower class past the glitz and glamour of the industry.
Frida Kahlo spent time in Detroit, New York and San Francisco with her husband Diego Rivera as he worked on commissions. In the painting, Self-Portrait at the Border between Mexico and the United States (1932)Frida shows both societies and cultures on both sides of her as she symbolizes the border. On the left side her native Mexico shows its vibrant historical and cultural heritage with it’s Aztec pyramid and abundant plants in the lower left of the painting. In contrast to gleaming industrial buildings on Kahlo’s right side Mexico shows a pile of rubble which can indicate that Mexico is not as developed as the United States and hold more rural tendencies. On her right Kahlo decorates the United States with factories and buildings. Instead of plants growing from the ground the viewer can see various technological advances. Although she stands equally on both countries, in her hand a Mexican flag shows where her loyalties lay. Frida did this work with oil on tin.
American painter Robert Henri strips New York City of all it’s fame and glory with this harshly realistic piece, Snow in New York, done in 1901. The Ashcan School often did pieces like Snow in New York to show that American, as glorious as it may be, has it’s ups and downs among the common folk. With its subdued greys and browns, Henri creates an almost claustrophobic feel to the viewer and the buildings close in and the sky creates a narrow landscape. On the streets crowds of people are dispersed in the urban city, given the colours, the normal Ideals of the Ashcan School, and the withered in figures, they are of lower class. A single horse drawn carriage is visible, which can show the low income of the walking citizens in the depressing weather. There is no vibrancy or gorgeous highlight of New York here as it is more concentrated on the brownstone buildings and hushed weather. Henri uses the traditional oil on canvas for his painting.