Frida Kahlo’s painting The Wounded Deer (El Venado Herido) was created in 1946, and is also referred to as The Little Deer. This painting depicts Kahlo’s deep emotional and physical suffering, in a way that reveals her feeling of being stuck or trapped by her own fate. Interestingly, the deer in the painting also represents Kahlo’s head; with horns as symbols of strength, and antlers similarly as symbols of power. Adding to this symbolism is the word ‘karma’ at the bottom of the painting, which reveals that she believed her destiny was pre-determined.
The Little Deer poignantly displays Frida’s internal struggles with a thoughtful mix of symbolism and imagery. This stark self-portrayal can be seen in comparison to her earlier self-portrait of 1926, titled simply as Self-Portrait – a work painted twenty years before The Little Deer. The two works serve to illustrate how deeply connected Frida was to her art – expressing personal emotion so rawly though a visual medium speaks volumes about Kahlo’s ability as an artist.
