Kahlo v. Rembrandt before referencing

Rembrandt and Kahlo -- a comparative and contrasting study of two self-portraits

Both Rembrandt van Rijn and Frida Kahlo were artists who redefined the subject matter and style of painting for their respective generations. Although profoundly different in their sensibilities, historical circumstances, and personalities, both of these artists tackled the difficult task of fashioning an image of themselves upon canvas. Rembrandt, in fact, was particularly famous for painting and repainting his image, at different junctures of his life (Martin & Jacobus 93). Rembrandt's 1659 oil canvas entitled simply "Self-Portrait" is characteristic of the unadorned, spare style of portraiture that defined this Dutch artist's realistic style. In contrast, the Mexican artist Frida Kahlo's oil-on-masonite "Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird" of 1940 is a surrealist flight of fancy that aims to create a psychic, rather than a literal self-portrait.

Rembrandt's desire to focus the gazer's eye...
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