One of 55 self-portraits by lauded Mexican painter Frida Kahlo, “Autorretrato con Bonito, 1941” is permeated with grief and mourning. The joy of Kahlo’s remarriage to artist Diego Rivera was extinguished when she learned several days later that her father had died. Returning to Mexico to live in her family’s home, Kahlo (1907 – 1954) created this painting. In it, she wears black to mourn her father’s death, and is joined by her beloved parrot, Bonito, who had recently died. Kahlo is devoid of jewelry, and the absence of the flowers she usually wore in her hair indicate mourning. The contrasting background of the painting is bustling with life, signifying the constant interplay between life and death.

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