“Diversity in unity,” Frida Kahlo wrote in her diary. Here we stand before Sol y Luna. It embodies the essence of duality. The sculpture reflects a theme prevalent in Mexican art. It mirrors the celestial dance of the sun and moon.
Sol y Luna captures the spirit of reconciliation. It echoes the contrasting yet conjoined natures. The sun and moon iconography gained prominence in Frida Kahlo’s later works. She often set it in the context of her health and hope.
The juxtaposition of the sun and moon appears in Rufino Tamayo’s murals. His large murals like Dualidad show this celestial theme. Tamayo often used celestial iconography. It draws upon pre-Columbian influences.
The aesthetic stems from a Mexican folk style. It resembles the lotería game of the early 20th century. Tamayo charged Luis Remba with creating a new printmaking process in 1973. He wanted to capture the texture of his later paintings. Remba met this challenge. Tamayo created over 80 prints with Remba. Luna y Sol marked their final collaboration.
Consider Frida Kahlo’s painting, Niña Tehuacana, also known as Sol y Luna. The painting places its protagonist at the center of a symbolic universe. It unites the sky and earth. It balances night and day. It harmonizes the four cardinal directions. Contemporary anthropologists see duality as unified halves. It mirrors the Asian concept of yin and yang. The divine and human realms join by mutual attraction.
Diego Rivera shared Frida’s fascination with Mesoamerican art. This informed her work. Rivera constructed Anahuacalli, his museum of Pre-Columbian art. He began this project in 1942. In the same year, Frida painted Niña Tehuacana. Rivera also worked on murals at the Palacio Nacional. These murals showcased Pre-Columbian cultures.
Rivera and Kahlo likely drew inspiration from the Mixtec Codex Fejervary-Mayer. The codex depicts the god of the heart. It portrays the mountain and earthquakes. The god stands at the center. Four trees surround him representing the cardinal points. Paired deities flank each tree. These deities embody opposing attributes. They reconcile duality in Niña Tehuacana.
Let Sol y Luna remind you of unity. Remember harmony in diversity.