The artwork “My Grandparents, My Parents, and I (Family Tree)” is a creation of Frida Kahlo, completed in 1936. It is executed in oil, metal, and tempera mediums, and the piece measures 30.5 by 34.5 centimeters. Exemplifying the Naïve Art movement, specifically Primitivism, this portrait genre artwork presents a visual lineage of Kahlo’s ancestry. It is currently housed at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City, NY, US.
In the artwork, Kahlo’s family history is depicted through an intimate and symbolic composition. The central figure, representing Kahlo herself as a child, stands on a piece of land that emerges from the roots of a tree. Above her, two sets of couples, presumably her parents and grandparents, are connected by branches that stem from the tree, signifying the family’s lineage. The use of the tree as a representational element for family ties is a poignant visual metaphor for growth, connection, and heritage.
Kahlo incorporates herself twice within the composition: once as a child standing between the roots and also as a fetus connected to her mother, showing a direct and visceral link between herself and her ancestry. The background of the artwork is split in two, with the left side depicting a scene of what appears to be a fertile and flowering landscape, perhaps signifying the artist’s Mexican heritage, while the right side displays an architecturally structured environment that may represent European influences on her family background. The stark contrast between these two spaces further alludes to the cultural duality intrinsic to Kahlo’s identity and personal narrative.
