The artwork titled “The Little Deer” by Frida Kahlo was created in 1946, employing oil on Masonite as its medium. This self-portrait reflects the Naïve Art movement, also known as Primitivism, and measures modestly at 22.4 by 30 centimeters. The artwork represents a fusion of human and animal characteristics in a symbolic landscape.
In the artwork, the artist’s own face is meticulously grafted onto the body of a deer, which, situated in a forest setting, has been pierced by multiple arrows. Despite the visible wounds and the implied suffering, the deer—or rather the artist’s representation as such—maintains a composed and penetrating gaze. This portrayal perhaps suggests a stoic acceptance of pain. The background offers a stark contrast of dark, knotted trees against a lighter, open sky in the distance, hinting at a juxtaposition of confinement and escape, or struggle and transcendence. Through this unique blend of self-portraiture with animal imagery, Kahlo communicates themes of vulnerability, pain, and resilience, all hallmarks of her deeply personal and expressive body of work.
