In your critical evaluation you should consider the relationships

between each text and its culture, the language of the texts and the
ways in which language shapes and reflects values as well as the ways
and reasons the original and later manifestations of key aspects of the
texts are valued.
Frida Kahlo was a child during the Mexican Revolution and grew up in an
era of social change. In the 1920s, Frida adopted a Communist philosophy
(especially the works of Leon Trotsky) and disagreed with the capitalism
which was revolutionising and industrialising America. The Mexican
government were also inclined towards communism and cultural beliefs
that industry was part of capitalism caused Frida to believe that machines
were bad luck and the cause of pain. This is expressed through the
depiction of "Gringolandia" (the United States) on the right hand side of
the piece as a darker industrial landscape dominated by more sombre
shades of grey of large smokestacks spewing fumes and concrete
blocks. This juxtaposes against the Mexican landscape on the opposite
side of the frame which features rich warm natural earthy colours, exotic
flora and pieces of Aztec sculpture to symbolise Frida's belief that
capitalistic industrialisation and technology catalysed the lose of culture
and nature.
This notion reverberates and is valued within present day society with
ongoing concerns about industry causing global
warming and environmental damage.
The lack of female autonomy within patriarchal society leads to females
seeking liberation through the pursuit of expressionist artwork and
literature. Frida Kahlo's feminist and gender-fluid sentiments preceded the
second wave of feminism during the 1960s but Self Portrait Between the
Borderline of Mexico and the United States remains as an iconic feminist
symbol to the present day. In the artwork, all subjects within the frame
revolve around Kahlo in the foreground, representing her presence and
prominence within the piece and this is emphasised by her pink-coloured
dress (the universal symbolic of femininity) to express Kahlo's beliefs in
female agency. Despite the constant repression of females by patriarchal
societies, individual artwork is transcendent and positively immortalises
their creator's beliefs beyond the range of masculine dominance, thus
demonstrating the importance of personal expressionism
and resilience through art. Also, the juxtaposition of Kahlo's portrayal of
herself in brighter tones of colour with other subjects in the composition
also highlights her 'othering' from both Mexican and American society
which were primarily masculine-dominated and reflects the culture of her
era.
The relationship between Kahlo's Self Portrait Along the Boarder Line
Between Mexico and the United States and her her cultural circumstances
resonates to the present day with critic Janise Helland surmising that
Kahlo's artwork is " brutal and overtly political content".