Lost Voice of Mexican Icon Frida Kahlo Surfaces

 

Mexican painter Frida Kahlo’s self-portraits made her world famous. She and her husband, the painter Diego Rivera, revolutionized Mexican art in the first half of the 20th century. But no one had a recording¹ of her voice.

Until now, maybe.

The National Music Library of Mexico released² a radio recording of Kahlo reading the story Portrait of Diego. She had written the story about her husband.

The Mexican government announced the discovery of the recording. It said studies suggest that the voice on the recording is Kahlo’s, but they were not able to be completely sure.

“It’s a finding³ that has many elements that can be identified as the (possible) voice of Frida Kahlo, but isn’t 100 percent," said Secretary of Culture Alejandra Frausto.

Kahlo spent long periods in bed after being severely⁴ injured in a bus accident in her mid-twenties. She painted, creating 200 art works⁵ in the bright colors of Mexican culture.

She has long been considered a model of feminism.

Pavel Granados is the director of the Fonoteca, Mexico’s national music library. He said the recording was found in January. It was from a radio program by the well-known Mexican broadcaster Alvaro Galvez y Fuentes. Granados said the recording probably dates to 1953 or 1954. It was shortly before Kahlo died at the age of 47, after suffering from an infection from an operation to remove part of her leg. The exact cause of her death has never been confirmed.

The recording is less than two minutes long. Her young, clear voice is filled with energy. She says of Rivera, “he is a big boy… with a friendly face and a sad gaze⁶.” She goes on to describe his “large eyes.”

Granados said he shared the recording with people who knew the Mexican artist. Some identified it as Kahlo’s voice, but others were not sure.

Investigations⁷ will continue, Granados said. “Frida’s voice has been a great enigma⁸.” He added that Fonoteca has been searching for it since it opened.

I’m Susan Shand.

Words in This Story

self-portrait – n. a painting or drawing of yourself that is done by yourself

feminism - n. the belief that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities

gaze – v. to look at someone or something in a steady way and usually for a long time

enigma – n. someone or something that is difficult to understand or explain

1 recording   

n.录音，记录

参考例句：

• How long will the recording of the song take?录下这首歌得花多少时间？
• I want to play you a recording of the rehearsal.我想给你放一下彩排的录像。

2 released   

v.释放( release的过去式和过去分词 )；放开；发布；发行

参考例句：

• He was released on bail pending committal proceedings. 他交保获释正在候审。
• With hindsight it is easy to say they should not have released him. 事后才说他们本不应该释放他，这倒容易。

3 finding   

n.发现，发现物；调查的结果

参考例句：

• The finding makes some sense.该发现具有一定的意义。
• That's an encouraging finding.这是一个鼓舞人心的发现。

4 severely   

adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地

参考例句：

• He was severely criticized and removed from his post.他受到了严厉的批评并且被撤了职。
• He is severely put down for his careless work.他因工作上的粗心大意而受到了严厉的批评。

5 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

6 gaze   

v.凝视，盯，注视；n.凝视

参考例句：

• Her cheeks grew hot beneath the gaze of so many eyes.在众目睽睽之下，她的脸红了。
• He fixed his gaze on her.他凝视着她。

7 investigations   

（正式的）调查( investigation的名词复数 )； 侦查； 科学研究； 学术研究

参考例句：

• His investigations were intensive and thorough but revealed nothing. 他进行了深入彻底的调查，但没有发现什么。
• He often sent them out to make investigations. 他常常派他们出去作调查。

8 enigma   

n.谜，谜一样的人或事

参考例句：

• I've known him for many years,but he remains something of an enigma to me.我与他相识多年，他仍然难以捉摸。
• Even after all the testimonies,the murder remained a enigma.即使听完了所有的证词，这件谋杀案仍然是一个谜。