e d u c a t o r ’ s
Frida and Diego
G u i d e
by catherine reef
About the Author
Catherine Reef is the author of more than forty
nonfiction books for young people and adults,
including The Brontë Sisters: The Brief Lives of Charlotte,
Emily, and Anne, which was selected for inclusion on
several awards lists, including the Bank Street Best
Children’s Books of the Year 2012 list, the 2012 Kirkus
Reviews Best Teen Books of the Year list, and the 2014
Amelia Bloomer Project list. She lives in College Park,
Maryland. Visit her at www.catherinereef.com.
About the Book
In 1907, when the artist Frida Kahlo was born, her
future husband, Diego Rivera, was already well
on his way to becoming the most famous painter
in Mexico. Their first encounter took place when
Frida was a mischievous schoolgirl playing pranks
on the illustrious painter working on a mural at
her school. They met again years later, and were
married soon thereafter. What followed was one of
the most tumultuous and notorious marriages of the
twentieth century—filled with passion, pain, betrayal,
revolution, and, above all, art that helped define an
era.
Nontraditional, controversial, rebellious, and
politically volatile, Frida and Diego are remembered
for their provocative paintings as well as for their
deep love for each other. The award-winning author
Catherine Reef explores the lives and work of both
painters in this lush and inspiring dual biography,
lavishly illustrated with numerous archival photos
and full-color reproductions of the artists’ work.
At the Intersection of Politics and Art
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera lived through a
particularly turbulent era in Mexican and world
history, and their lives intersected with those of
numerous historical and artistic figures, providing
a wealth of opportunity for cross-curriculum
discussion. This guide focuses on the art and political
history of its subjects. Reference is made to specific
Common Core curriculum standards where they
apply.
Key terms and concepts:
muralist (1), Renaissance (1), portrait (3),
sensuality (4), communist (4), rebozo (5), red-shirt
(6), comrades (9), social conscience (10), liberal
(10), freethinker (10), denounce (10), tenements
(11), perspective (12), composition (12), sketch
(12), fresco (15), masterpiece (16), Basque (19),
coquettish (23), elopement (23), darkroom (24),
convalesce (27), invalid (27), manifesto (28),
economic depression (28), capitalism (28), Cubism
(31), scaffolding (35), machete (38), workmanship
(39), ambassador (42), diplomat (43), trompe
l’oeil (47), utilitarian (48), undulating (52), theme
(59), Great Depression (60), concessions (62),
collage (66), Soviet Communist Party (70), gulag
(70), exiled (70), dissenters (70), asylum (70),
assassin (71), commission (72), freedom fighter
(73), surrealism (75), pulquería (93), corridos (93),
retrospective (99), stream of consciousness (99),
papier-mâché (100), plastic arts (101), medium
(101)
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e d u c a t o r ’ s
Frida and Diego
Prominent artists referenced in the text
Diego Velázquez, 1599–1660 (16), Francisco
Goya, 1746–1828 (16), Dr. Atl, 1875–1964 (17),
Pablo Picasso, 1881–1973 (30), Georges Braque,
1882–1963 (30), Leonardo da Vinci, 1452–1519
(35), Michelangelo, 1475–1564 (35), David Alfaro
Siqueiros, 1896–1974 (36), José Celemente Orozco
1883–1949 (37), Edward Weston 1886–1958 (45),
Louise Nevelson 1899–1988 (64), Salvador Dalí
1904–1989 (75), René Magritte 1898–1967 (75)
Prominent political figures/political events
referenced in the text.
Pancho Villa, 1878–1923 (20), Emiliano Zapata,
1879–1919 (20), Mexican Revolution, 1910 (20), Karl
Marx, 1818–1883 (28), Friedrich Engels, 1820–1895
(28), Archduke Franz Ferdinand, 1863–1914 (32),
John D. Rockefeller, 1839-1937 (58), Vladimir Lenin,
1870–1924 (61), Adolf Hitler, 1889–1945 (64), Benito
Mussolini, 1883–1945 (64), Leon Trotsky 1879–1940
(69) Joseph Stalin, 1878–1953 (69), Mao Tse-tung,
1893–1976 (103)
Pre- and Post-reading Activities
Before students read Frida and Diego, ask them to
consider the work of each artist and draw inferences
about its creator. Using a piece of art that is
representative of each artist’s style (e.g., Self-Portrait
with Necklace of Thorns, 1940, on page 122, and Detroit
Industry (west wall), 1932–1933, on page 131), discuss
the impression each leaves and ask students what
they believe the artist was trying to convey. Compare
and contrast the style and content of each artist.
Encourage students to express a personal viewpoint
about the art and respond to the opinions of their
peers.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy SL.9-12.3, 4
After students complete the book, ask them to revisit
their original interpretation of the artwork. Has their
assessment of the artists and their work changed?
Encourage them to consider details in the artwork
and to link them to specific events from the lives of
Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.9-12.1, 2, 10
G u i d e
by catherine reef
Ask students to choose a political figure from the list
above, research his biography and political viewpoint,
and write a “review” of Diego Rivera’s artwork from
the political figure’s perspective.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy W.9-12.7
As well as painting, Frida Kahlo wrote stream-ofconsciousness poems to express her fears. Read
examples of stream-of-consciousness writing by Frida
Kahlo (p. 99–100), James Joyce, or Virginia Woolf. Ask
students to write a stream-of-consciousness diary
entry based on their own lives.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy W.9-12.4, L.9-12.3
Discussion Questions
All of the following discussion questions are designed
to test CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.9-12.10 and CCSS.
ELA-Literacy RI.9-12.10, while meeting the specific
standards cited.
In Chapters 2 and 3, the author describes the artistic
educations of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo. Rivera’s
artwork evolved through the study and imitation of
classical works, and eventually grew to incorporate
large political themes (p. 28). Kahlo was largely selftaught and self-informed. Ask students to describe
the education of each artist and to discuss the relative
merits of these backgrounds, citing specific examples
from the text. Is one more valid than the other?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy SL.9-12.4, CCSS.ELA-Literacy
RI.9-12.1
Frida Kahlo’s life and career were affected by the
childhood disease polio (p. 23). Today, devastating
childhood diseases have been largely eradicated by
vaccinations. Discuss the differences in our approach
to childhood illnesses in 1913 and now. How were
children’s lives affected by the development of
vaccines to prevent major childhood illnesses? Review
different voices in the current debate over vaccines
and discuss the relative merits of opposing arguments
in light of the information they present and the
historical context provided by the book.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH9-12.8, 9
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e d u c a t o r ’ s
Frida and Diego
Diego Rivera experimented with several schools of
art before finally becoming a muralist. One of these
schools was Cubism. Compare Rivera’s painting of
a sailor (p. 32) or Nature Morte Espagnole, 1915 (p.
127) with Cubist works by Pablo Picasso (Figure Dans
un Fauteuil, 1909–10), Georges Braque (Violin and
Candlestick, 1910), Albert Gleizes (Man on a Balcony,
1912), or Jean Metzinger (La Femme au Cheval, 1911–
12). (Examples of Cubist art can be readily found
through an image search online.) Do you agree with
Catherine Reef’s assessment of Cubist art (p. 30)?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH.9-10.4, 8
Chapter 4 is titled “Reborn.” What does this use of
the word imply? How does it reflect the author’s
viewpoint throughout the book?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.9-12.2, 4, 6
How did Frida’s attitude toward the United States
change from her first visit to San Francisco in 1930
(p. 40) to her second to New York and Detroit (p. 48)?
What factors contributed to her loss of enthusiasm?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH.9-12.3
The author states, “Experiences, whether good or
bad, cause people to gain self-knowledge” (p. 52). Do
you agree? Can you think of an experience in your
own life that supports or refutes this statement? Does
Kahlo’s artwork before and after her experience at
Henry Ford Hospital support this assertion?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RI.9-12.1
Diego Rivera’s mural Man at the Crossroads (p. 63)
was ultimately destroyed by its patron, Nelson
Rockefeller. Discuss the themes of the painting and
whether it was appropriate for the Rockefellers to
censor it. Is censorship ever appropriate? Explore the
historical context in which the painting was created
and how that had an imact on Rockefeller’s decision.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH.9-12.3, 9
G u i d e
by catherine reef
While living in New York and feeling homesick,
Frida Kahlo painted My Dress Hangs There (p.
66). Ask students to view the piece and offer their
interpretation in the context of Frida’s biography up
until this point.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH.9-12.9
The author writes that Diego Rivera was painting
dishonestly when he created the anti-American The
Nightmare of War and the Dream of Peace (p. 104). Do
you agree with that assessment? Discuss the concept
of artistic integrity, and whether Rivera’s tailoring the
content of the work affects students’ assessment of
him as an artist.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH.11-12.3, RH 9-12.8
Diego Rivera had a particularly tumultuous
relationship with the Communist Party of Mexico and
spent most of his life struggling to regain membership
in the party after his expulsion in 1929. Why do you
think it was so important to him to be accepted by the
party? What events in his life shaped his commitment
to communism? Was he consistent in his commitment
to communist ideals?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH.11-12.1, 3, 9
In 1956, Diego Rivera painted over the words Dios
No Existe on his mural at the Hotel del Prado (p. 112),
declaring, “I am a Catholic.” Why do you think he
may have made this late-in-life change? How might
his brush with cancer have influenced his decision?
CCSS.ELA-Literacy RH.11-12.1, 3, 9
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