Description
Me and My Parrots is a self-portrait Frida Kahlo painted in 1941: she sits in a white blouse with a parrot perched on each shoulder and two more held against her chest, a cigarette between the fingers of one hand. The original, oil on canvas, is 82 cm high and 62.8 cm wide and is in a private collection in New Orleans. Our painter paints it for you by hand in oil colours on canvas, in one of 8 portrait sizes from 40 x 50 to 150 x 190 cm or made to measure; before dispatch we send you a photograph of the finished painting.
| Title: | Me and My Parrots |
| Other titles: | Yo y mis pericos · Ich und meine Papageien |
| Painter: | Frida Kahlo (1907–1954) |
| Year painted: | 1941 |
| Original size: | 82 cm x 62.8 cm (height x width) |
| Original technique: | Oil on canvas |
| Painting style: | Mexican modernism |
| Located at: | Private collection, New Orleans |
| Our reproduction: | Hand-painted oil on canvas, 8 sizes or made to measure |
Me and My Parrots – Frida Kahlo
What does Me and My Parrots show?
Frida Kahlo painted herself to the waist, squarely facing us, her arms folded in front of her. The background is a warm brown, almost golden in places, gathering on the left into dark, reddish-brown patches.
She wears a plain white blouse with a square neckline and gathered puff sleeves, drawn through with fine grey stripes. Below, a violet cloth with a darker leaf pattern shows. Her hair is piled high and swept back, her brows meet above her nose, and her lips are a deep red.
Four parrots surround her. The one on her right shoulder looks off to the side, the one on her left stares straight out at us, and two press against her chest as if she were cradling them. Their feathers shade from yellow and olive green into blue, grey and violet.
Her left hand wears three rings, among them a large round gold one, and a white cigarette rests between her fingers. Her face stays calm, nearly expressionless, and her gaze is fixed on the viewer.
How did the self-portrait with parrots come about?
The painting dates from 1941, the period after Kahlo returned to Mexico. She had divorced the muralist Diego Rivera in 1939; in December 1940 the two remarried and soon travelled home together.
In April 1941 her father, the photographer Guillermo Kahlo, died, and his death plunged her into depression. Poor health tied her more and more to the Blue House (La Casa Azul) in Coyoacán, where friends, servants and animals kept her company, among them spider monkeys, Xoloitzcuintli dogs and parrots.
Around this time she moved from small tin sheets to larger canvases, which were easier to exhibit, and painted more quarter-length portraits, which sold more easily. This self-portrait belongs to that group: oil on canvas, with the artist filling almost the whole surface.
Why does this self-portrait draw so many eyes?
Many of Kahlo’s self-portraits borrow the classic bust-length portrait of the colonial era, and in them her face is often mask-like, ringed by visual cues that help the viewer read more into it. Here those cues are birds, of the kind she kept at home.
She once said she painted self-portraits because she was so often alone and was the person she knew best. In this one, though, four birds surround her, two on her shoulders and two in her arms.
Her paintings are often ambiguous in meaning, and this one has no single reading. For more on her life and work, see the Wikipedia article on Frida Kahlo (in English); there is no separate article on this painting.
Where is the original?
The original belongs to a private collection in New Orleans, in the United States, so it is not on permanent view in any museum. It is oil on canvas, 82 cm high and 62.8 cm wide.
With the original out of public view, a hand-painted copy is for most admirers the only way to have this scene in full colour on their own wall.
Me and My Parrots or another Kahlo self-portrait?
This canvas painting is upright and warm in tone: the brown ground and the cool blues and greens of the birds sit well with wooden furniture, house plants and natural fabrics. It suits a home office, a hallway or a bedroom, where the calm seated figure never tires the eye.
From the same year comes Self-Portrait with Braid, with her hair wound into a large braid on top of her head and big green leaves around her shoulders. An animal at her side also appears in Self-Portrait with Monkey of 1940, where a small spider monkey sits behind her shoulder.
Still more animals, a black cat, a monkey and a hummingbird, gather in Self-Portrait with Thorn Necklace and Hummingbird, while two Fridas with visible hearts are the subject of The Two Fridas. All the famous Frida Kahlo paintings we paint to order are collected on our Frida Kahlo page.
How does our painter paint the parrots and the face?
The original is oil on canvas, just like ours, so the painter works on the same support Kahlo used. Face, neck and arms are painted smoothly with soft transitions, while the background is livelier, with visible strokes of brown, ochre and dark red.
Work begins with the background and the outline of the figure; thin layers then build up the skin and the white blouse, whose folds and grey sleeve stripes must stay light. The parrots come later: their plumage is made of small, short touches of yellow, green, blue and grey, set closely side by side.
The details that give the painting its character come last: the red rings around the birds’ eyes, the claws gripping her shoulders, the rings on her hand, the cigarette and the joined brows. The result is a Frida Kahlo reproduction with real layers of paint, something a print cannot give. Like every oil painting reproduction we make, it is one of a kind.
Which size suits your wall?
In short: 40 x 50 or 45 x 60 cm for a hallway or a narrow wall, 58 x 75 or 73 x 94 cm above a desk or a chest of drawers, 80 x 108 or 100 x 135 cm above a sofa or a bed, and 115 x 155 or 150 x 190 cm for a tall wall or a stairwell.
We paint it in 8 portrait sizes (width x height): 40 x 50, 45 x 60, 58 x 75, 73 x 94, 80 x 108, 100 x 135, 115 x 155 and 150 x 190 cm. Closest to the original is 58 x 75 cm, which is 4.8 cm narrower and 7 cm shorter; 73 x 94 cm is 10.2 cm wider and 12 cm taller.
As a painting for the living room above a three-seater sofa, 80 x 108 and 100 x 135 cm work best, leaving enough space at the sides.
Can I order another size or a frame?
The original is roughly 3 : 4 in proportion, so we can paint it in a size that is not on the list without cropping the bird on her shoulder or the hand with the rings. Tell us the width and height you need, and we send back a price and a delivery time.
Your painting ships rolled, stretched on a stretcher bar or framed, and our workshop in Slovenia handles the stretching and framing. In our 3D app you choose the frame and nothing else; seeing the painting on your own wall is a separate service.
When will it arrive, and how is it shipped?
Once you confirm the order, the painter starts work, and within 15 to 45 working days the painting is ready to ship. Before that you receive a photograph of the finished painting, and if you wish, the painter adjusts something.
Within Slovenia and the rest of the EU there are no customs formalities, and our returns policy covers every order.
It makes a fine gift for someone who loves birds, strong colour or Mexican art. To leave the choice of size to the person receiving it, give them a wall art voucher instead.
Frequently asked questions
Where can I see the original?
It belongs to a private collection in New Orleans and is not on permanent show in a museum.
How many parrots are there?
Four: one on each shoulder and two that she holds against her chest.
Is this a print?
No, each one is painted by hand with a brush and oil colours on canvas, with no printing.
How big is the original?
It is 82 cm high and 62.8 cm wide; our nearest size is 58 x 75 cm.
Can I get my own size?
Yes, we paint it in the width and height you give us and tell you the price first.
How long does it take?
From 15 to 45 working days, then we ship, with no customs inside the EU.
Is it right for a bedroom or a home office?
Yes, the calm seated figure and warm browns suit both rooms, and the smaller sizes a hallway too.
What do the parrots mean?
Kahlo kept parrots and other animals at home, but there is no single reading of the birds; her paintings are often ambiguous.
- Subject: Frida Kahlo in a white blouse with four parrots on her shoulders and chest and a cigarette in her hand.
- Original: 1941, oil on canvas, 82 x 62.8 cm, private collection, New Orleans.
- Ours: oil on canvas, painted by hand to your order, in 8 portrait sizes (40 x 50 to 150 x 190 cm) or made to measure.
- Worth knowing: It was painted in the year her father died, when she was spending more and more time at the Blue House.
