Portrait of Diego Rivera is a 1937 painting of the Mexican artist Diego Rivera. At the time when Rivera commissioned the painting, he was 51 years old with a much heavier and taller life figure. Yet, in this portrait he appears much younger as his features have been gently refined. There is no expression on his face, probably because of issues between Rivera and Frida Kahlo – though they were divorced, they still loved each other despite her numerous affairs with both men and women. The turbulent marriage between them often received public attention and many of Kahlo’s works are about it. One specific painting that reflects her turmoil is Self-Portrait With Cropped Hair from 1940 in appreciation for which she renounced all feminity associated with her physical appearance.
Finally, even though Portrait Diege Rivera does not present a fascinating subject like Henry Ford Hospital – Frida Kahlo’s 1932 self-portrait exploring themes of mortality in response to her recent miscarriage – it captures an important part of their lives, providing insight on their artistic partnership and personal relationship at the time the painting was made.
