Reconstruction of Symbols and Flow of Meaning: An Analysis of Identity Narration and Value Communication in Frida Kahlo’s Works from the Perspective of the Encoding-Decoding Theory

DOI

10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_29How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Encoding and Decoding; Art Therapy; Self-Portrait; Symbolism; Emotional Suffering

Abstract

Frida Kahlo, one of the 20th century’s most prominent artists, has created iconic works of Mexican culture that have influenced global artists across generations. Renowned for her self-portraits—depicting physical pain, emotional distress, and strong political/feminist views—her paintings feature vibrant colors, surreal imagery, and profound personal symbolism, drawing inspiration from her own suffering. From a communication studies perspective, this paper uses Sigmund Freud’s psychoanalytic theory and the Encoding-Decoding Theory to explore the communication value of Kahlo’s works and their impact on art therapy. It first examines her artistic background and how pain, illness, and trauma shaped her art, then analyzes the historical-cultural contexts of her works—including reflections on era-specific political/social issues and influences of Mexican folk art and surrealism. The paper also organizes her thematic and stylistic features, and via case study, conducts in-depth analysis of her works across three periods to identify therapeutic visual and thematic elements. Finally, it emphasizes the significance of her works’ connotation communication as individual and collective therapy, advancing modern art development.

Copyright

© 2025 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Zhaolun Li
AU  - Wenjing Chang
PY  - 2025
DA  - 2025/12/31
TI  - Reconstruction of Symbols and Flow of Meaning: An Analysis of Identity Narration and Value Communication in Frida Kahlo’s Works from the Perspective of the Encoding-Decoding Theory
BT  - Proceedings of the 7th International Conference on Literature, Art and Human Development (ICLAHD 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 251
EP  - 264
SN  - 2352-5398
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_29
DO  - 10.2991/978-2-38476-511-9_29
ID  - Li2025
ER  -