What the Water Gave Me
Artist	Frida Kahlo
Year	1938
Medium	Oil on canvas
Location	Collection of Daniel Filipacchi, Paris, France
Dimensions	35.8 x 27.8 in 91 x 70.5 cm

This painting is an oil on canvas which depicts various symbolizations from the painter’s life. The water in the bathtub is a representation of childhood games, but the various items and symbols one can see floating in the water have a deeper meaning, each connected to different circumstances of Frida’s life while she grew up and matured. In the middle of the water there is Frida depicted as if she were drowning, partly due to feeling engulfed with the experiences and situations all around her. What the Water Gave Me was painted in 1938.

About the Painting

Some of the elements one sees in the water are then re-used in other paintings that Frida Kahlo painted later on. Most of Kahlo’s paintings had a central element, but this is not the case in this painting.

The style of this painting is considered to be Surrealism, even though Frida Kahlo herself is not actually considered a Surrealistic painter.