How did Frida Kahlo begin painting during her recovery from the bus accident?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Frida Kahlo stands at an easel, holding a paintbrush and working on a portrait of a woman in a white dress, looking toward the camera. — Frida Kahlo Mexican artist Frida Kahlo painting a portrait of Jean Wight in 1931; the work depicts the wife of artist Clifford Wight, who assisted Diego Rivera, Kahlo's husband, when he was painting a number of murals throughout the United States.

Following the severe bus accident in 1925 that left her largely immobilized and encased in plaster casts for months, Frida Kahlo turned to painting as a way to cope with her recovery and chronic pain.123

While bedridden, she taught herself to paint by studying the art of the Old Masters. To facilitate her work, she used a mirror attached to the canopy of her bed, which allowed her to paint her own image, leading to the creation of the self-portraits for which she would eventually become famous. Her father, Guillermo, who tended to her during this difficult period, also encouraged her to pursue her interest in art. Her first known work, Self-Portrait Wearing a Velvet Dress, was produced in 1926.231