Success Equals Sacrifice: The Story of Frida Kahlo and Other Famous Artists

Musical and artistic geniuses may have successful careers, but not all of them could balance out their work alongside their lives. Success comes with a price and that often results in the lack of relationships of the artists. The careers famous artist face create a hard life for themselves to live because of the popularity of their art or use their depression and hardships as fuel for their artwork.

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is one of the most influential and successful artist and composer. He was a musical prodigy and has created works of music that are still used today. “Competent on keyboard and violin, he composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty,” Mozart wasn’t economically stable in his earlier years, but even then he did not let that get in the way of his passion (Bohem). Mozart was so dedicated to his work that he wrote over “600 pieces” of music and even though he was dying he still worked on a last piece until his last days. He had not gotten rich off his music when he was alive, but was known for his talent because he was always asked to perform in Germany, Paris, and London. Due to his obsession with his music he barely had any time for a personal life, but nevertheless he married a woman named Constanze Weber and had 6 children, and died at the age of 36 according to his IMDb biography.

Ludwig Van Beethoven was also a very talented artist in his time, and gained a successful career long after his demise. He too was a prodigy like Mozart and learned from him, but was talented in a different way than the other prodigy. Beethoven was a talented pianist, but could not be able to compose a whole symphony in a matter of hours like Mozart (its.caltech.edu). Beethoven is known as the father of the Romantic era, but in his personal life he never married. Beethoven was too involved in his music to focus on romance or family. Also, according to his biography he began feeling depressed in his life and contemplated suicide. In his later life he began going deaf, and even then he kept writing and composing music. Sources believe that Beethoven’s loss of hearing was the leading cause of him becoming mad and depressed. Beethoven’s compositions were so moving that even now people still listen to them and play them. His success took a big toll on his personal life, but it was mainly due to his obsession with the music and disregarded the price it would have to pay.

Frida Kahlo is another important artist that had a very successful, yet struggling career. Kahlo is known all over the world for her artistic achievements and feminist statements. She became famous for her self portrait paintings. Kahlo had a very hard life because she was involved in a bus accident which resulted in her being disabled for the rest of her life. Although it was a struggle for Kahlo, she began painting after that accident and turned into a very popular artist. Frida Kahlo once said “I paint myself because I am often alone and I am the subject that I know best,” this quote was found in the Frida Kahlo website which also stated that Kahlo had gotten depressed and had many health problems (Kahlo biography). She was dedicated to her work which would get in the way of her marriage to Diego Rivera, but it went both ways because Rivera was also a painter. She would write a story with her paintings about herself as if it was her way of expressing her feelings. Her life was not easy though because of her disability and lifestyle with her off again on again husband. She was not able to bare children due to her disability and it was something that contributed to her depression (Kahlo biography). Even though Kahlo had all these obstacles in her life she still managed to become an influential and successful artist.

All these artist such as Mozart, Beethoven, Kahlo had very successful careers and continue to do so even after their death. Throughout their life they obsessed over their art and created a name for themselves because of their passion. The empire they created for themselves was all due to their sacrifice they made in compromising their personal life for the success. Artists in general have to make some kind of sacrifice, whether it be as extreme as sacrificing lifestyle and romance or just as simple as sacrificing time. Every artist knows the cost of being good, but only a few actually cash in the price to become great.

Works Cited

1. “A Brief History of Beethoven.” Worldwide Regulation of GMOs in Agriculture,
2. www.its.caltech.edu/~tan/BeethovenMissaSolemnis/background_on_beethoven.html.
3. Boehm, Volker. “Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.” IMDb, IMDb.com,
4. www.imdb.com/name/nm0003665/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm.
5. “Frida Kahlo Biography.” Frida Kahlo: 100 Famous Paintings, Complete Works, & Biography,
6. www.fridakahlo.org/frida-kahlo-biography.jsp.

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