Lust for Life

By Tao Xing

In January 2018， when Lyu Xiaoning crossed the threshold of La Casa Azul， Frida Kahlos family home in Coyoacán， Mexico， she was touched by a particular painting named Viva la Vida. For her last work， completed in 1954 following complications from an amputated leg， Kahlo chose to paint vivacious red watermelons for their significance to the Dia de los Muertos（Day of the Dead）， a Mexican holiday celebrated on November 1 and 2. This holiday sees family and friends gather in remembrance of those who have gone before them. The artist inscribed the words “Viva la Vida”on the central melon wedge at the bottom of the canvas， which translate as “Long live life，” just eight days before she died.

Kahlo contracted polio when she was only 6， which left her with a limp， and further suffered a bus accident at the age of 18， which caused her lifelong pain and health problems. However， never allowing her physical disabilities to knock her down， Kahlo boasted an unparalleled lust for life which eventually saw her become a world-renowned painter.

“What is your life， and how do you go about it？ Frida simply illustrated her answer to that question，” Lyu told Beijing Review.

Lyus grandfather， who greatly influenced her life， died of cancer in the autumn of 2017. She was unable to fight her way out of the sadness his passing brought her， until she watched the 2017 Disney Pixar animation Coco， which pays tribute to Mexican culture with a joyful， colorful Day of the Dead story.

“The film drove me to go to Mexico， ready to ask some questions about ‘life，” Lyu said.

On a whim

Kahlos experience allowed Lyu to feel the power of painting. The next day， armed with paper and colorings， she ventured into the streets of Mexico City to invite passers-by to draw their life as they saw it. “I received over 70 paintings in only three hours，” Lyu said. “Each one was different， and each had its own color palette.”

An 11-year-old drew himself riding a roller coaster to represent his life， moving up and down all the time.

“A bartender sat down and started drawing for almost one hour， which almost had me chomping at the bit—until I saw his painting，” Lyu said. “I could see a wild and untamed inner world running through his strokes.”

Lyu went on to introduce her experiment to the streets of dozens of countries.

In San Francisco， the U.S.， on February 3， 2018， Lyu met Jeff， a cook. He depicted the meaning of life in the shape of a fried egg， a glass of water， and a chefs hat.