Frieda used to say she was born in 1910, the year of the Mexican Revolution. It was during her years in the National Preparatory that she saw Diego Rivera while he was commissioned for a mural. On Septmeber 17, 1925 Frieda suffered extreme injuries when involved in a bus accident that was followed by many surgeries and medical treatments. The accident caused her to be bedridden for long amounts of time and she decided to paint. It was because of her self-taught painting that she got involved in the artistic circles of Mexico. She married to Diego Rivera on August 21, 1929. Diego was a powerful presence all through out Frieda's artistic life. .
Frieda owed a lot of her artistic fame and success to her great love of Diego. It was Diego that suggested to her to wear the traditional clothing of the Mexican peoples. Although Diego and Frieda were fiercely independent artists(Brommer, 463) they did admire each others works and did a couple of paintings with images of each other. Diego believed that Frieda was the best critic he had. So even though both of them did their own style and their influence was there nonetheless. .
It is known that Frieda painted whatever she felt, she once said " I put on canvas whatever comes to my mind." Diego was away during some commissions and that turned Frieda to feel sad and paint some very disturbing images such as her self-portrait as a deer with 9 arrow shafts piercing her. She also had many self-portraits where she showed Diego on her image, such as in Diego y Yo, and in El Abrazo de Amor, La Tierra(Mexico), Diego, Yo y El Sr. Xolotl. By what I see in those paintings and in the titles of them Frieda painted those when she had Diego on her mind or their love at hand, especially in the second painting. .
Both of these artist had a fond appreciation for Communistic ideals and Diego showed it through his paintings a lot. He painted Frieda into his painting of The Arsenal.