Frida Kahlo’s artistic career began as a result of a tragic accident. In 1925, she was involved in a bus collision that left her with a broken spinal column and numerous other severe injuries. During her long months of recovery in a full-body cast, her parents encouraged her to paint. They provided her with a special lap easel and a mirror attached to the top of her four-poster bed so she could see herself. This led to her lifelong focus on self-portraits. Kahlo famously said, 'I paint myself because I am so often alone and because I am the subject I know best.' Her work combined traditional Mexican folk art with surreal elements to explore themes of identity, suffering, and the female experience. She underwent more than 30 surgeries during her life, and her physical pain remained a central, vivid theme in her iconic paintings.