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    Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography
    Unavailable
    Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography
    Unavailable
    Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography
    Ebook117 pages20 minutes

    Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography

    By Zena Alkayat and Nina Cosford

    4/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    Step into the world of one of history's most celebrated artists and feminist icons: Frida Kahlo. This beautifully illustrated biography is full of colorful details that illuminate the woman behind the artwork, including excerpts from Kahlo's personal letters and diaries on her childhood dreams of becoming a doctor, the accident that changed the course of her life, and her love affairs with famous artists. Featuring handwritten text alongside lovely illustrations, Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo provides a captivating window into the vibrant life, work, and creative vision of the beloved Mexican artist.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChronicle Books Digital
    Release dateAug 16, 2016
    ISBN9781452150543
    Unavailable
    Library of Luminaries: Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography

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    Reviews for Library of Luminaries

    4/5

    14 ratings9 reviews

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    • 5/5
      I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. It is a small biography of Frida Kahlo with watercolor illustrations, and it is delightful. I felt like despite the short length, the book was able to give me a peek into the character of this artist so that I could get to know her a bit better. My Ma-in-law, who is a huge fan of Kahlo, really liked the book too and said she only wished it had Kahlo's art in it because it made her want to look at the pictures. This book is not particularly aimed at children, as it includes her tragic accident and her lovers. But it was a true portrait of a real person and I would say that it's fine for late middle school and up.
    • 3/5
      This illustrated biography of the Mexican painter, Frida Kahlo, is nicely designed and made with good quality materials. Unfortunately, it does not contain any pictures of her paintings. This baffles me. How can one publish a biography about Frida Kahlo without showing her work; they are intricately connected. It simply does not make any sense, especially since she is known for her autobiographical self-portraits. It is difficult to recommend an essentially incomplete biography no matter how concise the intention.
    • 5/5
      Having read and very much enjoyed this book on a recent trip to New York, I promptly gave it to the very bright five-year old child of the friends I was staying with. She usually ignores such gifts but this time she scooped it up and read it to herself right away and then insisted on reading it to us. She was completely taken by the book and more importantly by Kahlo. Trips to the museums followed I am happy to say!
    • 4/5
      The Library of Illuminaries series, including this edition of Frida Kahlo, is a fun and engaging way to learn a bit about some of your favorite people, or have on your coffee table looking beautiful. It was smaller than I expected, being about 6 inches high, but was also filled with more information than I expected for such an illustration heavy volume. The writing was not mere random facts about Frida's life, but instead strung together her story of love and loss, personal tragedy, and what motivated her to make art. The focus of this book was showing how Frida's life showed a passionate light and zest, overcoming all of the physical and emotional trials that could have destroyed her. Personally, Frida is one of my favorite artists, and I can't say that this short book did justice to what I love about her. Perhaps her depth of personhood and the depth that comes out in her paintings is too much to communicate in such a small space. Also, some of the pages mention specific paintings that she created, which it would have been nice to see an example of. Nevertheless, I am very pleased to have this on my shelf to pass around to guests. Something to draw the eye, flip through and start a conversation about such a unique woman.
    • 4/5
      Lovely little book about Frida Kahlo. I really like the hot pink spine. The watercolor illustrations (not by Kahlo herself, but by Nina Cosford) are quite engaging. Zena Alkayat provides the text. As I understand it, this is part of a "Library of Luminaries" series featuring women such as Kahlo in this instance and Coco Chanel and Jane Austen. It seems like both Alkayat and Cosford collaborates on all the titles thus far.I can see how these books would be fun to collect and display together, kind of like art objects -- after all, they are artistic inside and out. But for the money (sticker price is $16.95) I'd hesitate to buy these if I was hoping to learn more about Kahlo or one of the other women in the series. It took me all of 15 minutes to read, and that included the time to linger on the illustrations. However, it'd be a good gateway to wanting to learning more about Kahlo if the reader knew little to begin with about her. I would suggest that future editions of these books have a couple pages, maybe in the back, that include actual reproductions of the art, or examples of what it was that made each featured woman unique.These would make great gifts and probably would sell well at art museum shops. Thanks to the publisher and LibraryThing for sending me a review copy through the Early Reviewers program.
    • 4/5
      This is a cute little picture book biography about Frida Kahlo. Even though I feel like I know the basics about "one of history's most celebrated artists and feminist icons," I still read a few new Frida facts. I was surprised that it did not contain any of Frida Kahlo's artwork, but it was fun to see Nina Cosford's interpretations instead. I have always thought of Frida's life through her autobiographical artwork and from her perspective. It was interesting to look at her through another artist's eyes. The illustrations of Frida's tragic life story seem whimsical in this book. I liked thinking about Frida in a joyous way. One of my favorites was "Frida's Wardrobe," which I'm pretty sure made me giggle. I've never imagined Frida packing before. Thank you.
    • 4/5
      This is a sweet little baby biography of Frida Kahlo with really lovely illustrations, by Nina Cosford, throughout. It touches on some of the things that are frequently left out of short 'inspiration' pieces (her politics, her bisexuality). A great little book, good for middle grades and up, I think. It's also just a pretty object. A row of the other titles in this series would be very pleasant for a guest bedroom and would make a great gift.I do think that there should have been at least one print of a Kahlo painting. There's a bit of one but it's Cosford's take on it. One or two Kahlo prints at the beginning and end would have added something.
    • 4/5
      "Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography" by Zena Alkayat, with luminous illustrations by Nina Cosford, is a delightful introduction to the art and life of the visionary Mexican painter. Written as a sort of biographical appetizer with just enough flavor to whet the appetite, Cosford's small volume entices and beguiles. Akin to a travel guide, "Frida Kahlo: An Illustrated Biography" opens a path of understanding towards Frida's artistic, political, gender, and sexual explorations. Cosford's colorful and engaging pictures help lead us on this path. I only wish that at the end of the journey, we would find at least one photographic reproduction of Frida's own artworks.
    • 4/5
      This book is part of a new “Library of Luminaries” series by Chronicle Books that celebrates famous women in books that contain abridged biographies of the lives of the women featured.  Frida Kahlo, one of the most influential artists of the twentieth century, is enjoying something of a cult status now, especially among those of Mexican heritage. Her embrace of Mexico’s indigenous roots and her dedication to social and political reform in Mexico, combined with her colorful clothing, colorful sex life, and bright paintings, have made her a favorite daughter of Mexico. This small but richly informative book tells Kahlo’s life story, from her birth as Magdalena Carmen Frieda Kahlo y Calderón on July 6, 1907, to her death at the age of 47. The book pays particular attention to the illnesses and injuries which plagued Kahlo’s life, and which were so central to her life and career. At six, she fell ill with polio. At eighteen, she was nearly killed in a bus accident. Alkayat writes:“A passenger’s package of gold dust burst during the accident and Frida’s clothes were thrown off in the collision. She lay on the ground covered in blood and shimmering with gold. Her body was pierced, fractured, and crushed.”The accident left her bedridden for a long period, during which time she began to paint. But she also was left with a lifetime of pain. She continued to paint, to create, and to become active politically.Alkayat notes that “Frida had an outward vitality and fierce connectedness with life, but her paintings told a different story.” They showed, either symbolically or thematically, “intense and tortured depictions of her suffering.”In her brief lifetime she created 143 paintings, 55 of which are self-portraits. She also managed to have love affairs with a number of movers and shakers of the time, including Diego Rivera (whom she married when she was 22 and he was 42), American sculptor Isamu Noguchi, Hungarian born photographer Nickolas Muray, Communist leader Leon Trotsky, and jazz icon Josephine Baker.Her work has been called surrealist because of its self-reflective style and emphasis on the subconscious. This she combined with Mexican folk art which helped distinguish her work. During her lifetime, she sold relatively few paintings, but today her works fetch enormous prices at auction. In 2000, a 1929 self-portrait sold for more than $5 million. And, of course, she has become an important addition to the observation of Dia de los Muertos.The watercolor illustrations by Nina Cosford pay tribute to Kahlo’s style, and yet are somewhat whimsical and suitable to the format of the book.Evaluation: This small book is packed with interesting information, and will inspire readers to find out more about someone who continues to fascinate us as a woman, artist, and activist.