Kahlo began painting at 18 while recovering from injuries she received in a trolley accident that left her scarred for life; her spine was broken in 17 places and her reproductive organs were damaged by a shaft of metal that impaled her pelvis. Her early paintings were academic portraits of frien

Confessional poetry, Death, Feminine, Grotesque, Religious, Surrealist art

With so much ado about his urinals and wheels, it's easy to forget that Marcel Duchamp was also an exceptional painter. But Duchamp rejected painting. He rejected, that is, his talent. The fact that an exceptional painter rejected painting -- and ultimately may even have rejected art -- is precisely

Dada, Death, Erotic, Fantastic, Machinistic, Mathematical, Parody, Perverse, Quirky, Surrealist art, Wise assy

Imagine holding the end of a live wire in each hand. Now imagine one end is shaped like a turtle and the other end is, let's say, Pavarotti's beard. Now bring them together. Feel that electricity? That's called art -- or at least it's a metaphor for the Surrealist art of Max Ernst. Ernst explain

Dada, Hallucinatory, Polychromatic, Psychedelic, Saturated, Surreal, Surrealist art, Surrealist literature, Tense

Perhaps the most famous of all outsider artists, Joseph Cornell is best known for the shadow box collages he assembled in the basement of the Queens home he shared with his mother and brother. His assemblages usually include dolls, thimbles, engravings, magazine pictures, and pretty much anything he

Collage, Contemplative, Intimate, Layered, Serene, Surreal, Surrealist art