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This test consists of 5 short answer questions, 10 short essay questions, and 1 (of 3) essay topics.

Short Answer Questions

1. What writing reveals that, as Lowe writes, "Kahlo came to her senses"?

2. What aspect of Rembrandt and Van Gogh's work does Lowe compare to Kahlo's?

3. What does Fuentes cite Virgina Woolf as writing on pain?

4. Who does Frida address an eight page letter to in the Diary?

5. What does Frida write on the page that she fills with faces in bubbles?

Short Essay Questions

1. Sarah M. Lowe writes about the acceptance of themes like "birthing or miscarriage" in Western art. How does this relate to Frida?

2. How does Frida begin her diary?

3. Describe Frida's appearance, and the importance of her appearance, to Carlos Fuentes.

4. What characterized Frida's "poetry"?

5. What is automatic drawing?

6. What are some of the external sources that Fuentes finds for Kahlo's art?

7. Frida labels an image "I am DISINTEGRATION." What is happening in that image?

8. What sentiments does Frida express in the first letter to Diego Rivera included in the Diary?

9. How does Lowe describe Frida's relationship with Surrealism?

10. How does Fuentes characterize Frida's depiction of pain?

Essay Topics

Write an essay for ONE of the following topics:

Essay Topic 1

Lowe compares the reception of Frida's self-portraits (sometimes thought "excessively personal and self-referential") to those of Rembrant and VanGogh (who, she claims, express sentiments "considered applicable to all of 'mankind'"). Explain whether or not you believe that Frida's artistic expression is something that could be universally understood.

Essay Topic 2

Fuentes writes that Frida's physical pain mirrors the traumas of the Mexican nation. Lowe writes that despite the pain that is evident in her diary, her humor and "alegria" show through. What role do you think Frida's pain plays in her Diary? What is the role of pain in her context? Do you think that her pain has anything to do with her country? Her time? What role do you think it plays in her work as a whole? How do you think it has affected acceptance for, or interest in, her work?

Essay Topic 3

After Frida's death, her fame grew immensely. Can you identify any of the reasons for her popularity in the Diary itself?

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