What does the miniature portrait of Diego Rivera represent in The Two Fridas?

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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.

In The Two Fridas, the miniature portrait of Diego Rivera as a child is held in the hand of the Frida dressed in traditional Tehuana clothing. This figure represents the version of Frida Kahlo that Rivera loved, and the portrait serves as a focal point for the blood vessel that spirals down from her intact, healthy heart.1

Conversely, the Frida in the European-style wedding dress represents the version of the artist that Rivera rejected. Her heart is wounded and exposed, symbolizing the heartbreak Kahlo endured during their divorce. The two figures are bound together by a shared blood vessel, illustrating how Kahlo’s conflicting identities remained inextricably entwined despite the emotional turmoil of her relationship with Rivera.1