The artwork titled “Congress of Peoples for Peace” was created by the artist Frida Kahlo in 1952. Falling under the Naïve Art (Primitivism) art movement, the piece is a symbolic painting with dimensions measuring 19.1 x 25.1 cm. It portrays a vivid tableau infused with symbolism and a direct, expressive style characteristic of Kahlo’s unique visual language.
The artwork presents a radiant and color-drenched scene, anchoring a lush tree at its center, which is heavy with round fruits, possibly symbolizing the potential for growth and nourishment. The background is split between a day and night sky. To the left, a serene white moon illuminates amidst a deep blue, star-scattered expanse. To the right, a fiery orange sun beams with anthropomorphic features, projecting warmth and energy.
Below the central tree lies open watermelon slices, their fresh, red flesh and black seeds exposed—possibly denoting fertility or the richness of the earth. The painting is embellished with the artist’s own inscriptions, including her name and the year of creation. Bold letters spread across the bottom of the canvas spell out the title of the piece, grounding the dreamlike imagery in a political reality and suggesting the artwork’s thematic concern with unity, peace, and possibly international solidarity against the backdrop of a divided Cold War world. The childlike execution of form and the bright, unmodulated colors are reflective of the Naïve Art style, emphasizing a direct and instinctive creative approach that forgoes sophisticated techniques in favor of an intuitive expression.
