Monkey is a symbol of lust in Mexican mythology. But in this painting, Self Portrait with a Monkey, it was depicted as a creature with his own soul. He is tender and gentle and puts his arm around Frida's neck. It seems the money wants to protect her.

The constant appearance of monkeys in Frida Kahlo's paintings was not casual. In Kahlo's canvases, monkeys are more delicate, child-like. Because of their wild qualities, monkeys are frequently connected with fertility or desire in Mexican folklore. In her Blue House in Coyoacán, Frida kept monkeys as pets.

The darkness in the interstices of a wall of leaves in a nocturne entitled Self-Portrait with Monkey, 1940, seems a more straightforward expression of Frida's gloom. Here a blood-red ribbon braided through her hair winds around her neck four times and around her pet monkeys once.

Self-Portrait with Monkey (Autorretrato con mono in Spanish) is an oil on masonite painting by Mexican artist Frida Kahlo, commissioned in 1938 by A. Conger Goodyear, then president of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.

Jun 22, 2016 · Why was the Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, obsessed with monkeys – not to mention parrots, pre-Hispanic dogs and deer? Eight of the large number of self-portraits she painted in her short life...

The bright colors, exotic landscape, and traditional costume and jewelry in this painting reflect Kahlo’s desire to connect with her native Mexico's folk art and culture.

Feb 13, 2025 · At first glance, Self-Portrait with Monkey and Parrot captures attention with its rich color palette and detailed composition. Kahlo presents herself in the foreground, framed by lush greenery, while a monkey and parrot accompany her.

In “Self-Portrait with Monkey,” Kahlo depicted herself standing before lush vegetation wearing a blouse and bone necklace reminiscent of traditional Mexican clothing. Kahlo’s furry...

In Self-Portrait with Monkey, Kahlo depicted herself standing before lush vegetation wearing a blouse and bone necklace reminiscent of traditional Mexican clothing. Kahlo’s furry companion is her pet spider monkey, Fulang-Chang, whom she adored for his childlike and playful nature.

These philosophies are seen in the tied to her pet monkey, her dog (Senor Xolotl), a pre-Columbian idol. During her life, Frida connects herself to the natural world by echoing the hairs on the vegetation and monkey in her own tresses, styled in her signature indigenous fashion.