Sometimes, when we see a painting or other piece of visual art that seems to depict heartbreak, we wonder if it is based on something that happened in real life—maybe to the artist. It is also natural to wonder about the person who inspired the artwork. Viewers may be especially curious about the story behind a painting if it evokes fresh feelings or memories of their own heartache.
The people who are the subjects or inspirations behind these works may be prominent individuals or someone the artist has discussed, while at other times, their identity remains a mystery—known only through the legacy they left behind, later reflected in the artist’s work. Here are 10 pieces of art inspired by a broken heart.
Related: Ten Amazing Artists Who Were Horrible Humans
10 The Two Fridas
The Painful Truth Behind Frida Kahlo’s ‘The Two Fridas’
There are multiple pieces of art that reflect the stormy relationship between the iconic Mexican painters Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo, who were married from 1929 to 1939 and again from 1940 until Kahlo’s death in 1954. In addition to being a celebrated artist who was a pioneer of the mural movement, Rivera was a controversial figure and an infamous womanizer who had an affair with Kahlo’s own sister. While Frida Kahlo was also unfaithful, she was deeply hurt by Rivera’s behavior.
One of Kahlo’s most famous works is a self-portrait in oil done in the year of their 1939 divorce. The Two Fridas depicts two versions of herself, sitting on a bench together, holding hands. One Frida is dressed in a white high-collar European-style dress, while the other is wearing a colorful Tehuana-type dress. The clothing is probably a reference to her blended German and Mexican heritage but may also be symbolic of her conflicting attitudes toward Rivera. Both Fridas have exposed hearts, but the European woman’s heart is wounded.
The Tehuana Frida, who appears more content, is holding a small picture of Diego Rivera as a child. The European Frida holds a pair of surgical scissors, which she has used to sever a blood vessel connecting her to her twin, though one prominent blood vessel still links the two hearts. According to a Culture Frontier article, “The European Frida’s attempt to cut this lifeline highlights the inner turmoil and profound pain Kahlo experienced in the wake of her divorce.”[1]
9 Ashes
Ashes by Edvard Munch: the mystery of sexuality | Artworks Explained
Mental distress is a frequent theme in works by Norwegian artist Edvard Munch, whose best-known piece is The Scream. Among his most personal and emotionally stirring paintings is Ashes (1894), which shows a couple in the forest following what appears to have been a tryst. The man is crouched down while the woman stands straight, looking content as she fixes her long, flowing hair, a red slip visible beneath her unbuttoned white dress.
This seemingly triumphant seductress is believed to be inspired by his great love, Millie (or Milly) Thaulow, the wife of a distant cousin. Four years older than Munch, the sophisticated Thaulow was an accomplished woman remembered as one of the first Norwegian journalists to write about fashion and food. In the early 1920s, she published the cookbook Morson Mat under the name Milly Bergh.
The two would meet secretly in the woods outside Aasgaardstrand, carrying on an adulterous affair beginning in 1885 with what was likely the 21-year-old man’s first sexual encounter. Munch, who came from a staunchly religious background, was deeply conflicted and ashamed over the liaison. According to Daily Art Magazine, “With Thaulow, his jealousy and obsession began to impact his work. In his diary, he wrote feverishly of how she caused him to feel ‘the entire unhappiness of love.’”
His passion for Millie caused the already fragile artist to be on an emotional rollercoaster through the experience. When she ended the relationship, he was devastated, especially after Thaulow divorced her husband and married someone else.[2]
8 Charred Landscape
Lee Krasner from the Depths of Despair to the Height of her Career
In her series of paintings, often referred to as “Night Journeys,” Lee Krasner poured out her grief over the loss of her husband, revolutionary abstract expressionist artist Jackson Pollock, who died in a 1956 automobile accident. Even though she didn’t begin the collection until a few years after his death, it’s easy to see the emotional turmoil that influenced her work.
However, like much of the artwork that comes from heartache, the inspiration behind these paintings is complex, making them much more than a catharsis for one particular type of suffering. In addition to the pain of losing Pollock, who was most famous for developing the drip technique, Krasner was dealing with the death of her mother, going through a difficult time in her career, and struggling with insomnia, leading her to work at night. “Let me say that when I painted a good part of these things, I was going down deep into something which wasn’t easy or pleasant,” she explained to her friend Richard Howard.
Some critics believe this series was also influenced by the liberation she felt over escaping Pollock’s shadow and the baggage that he brought to their relationship, such as his infidelity and alcoholism.
Among the most powerful of these is her strikingly intense, boldly graphic oil painting Charred Landscape (1960), characterized in part by the thickly layered style and the tightly packed images.[3]
7 D’ana of Covl
Making Moves with D’ana Nunez of COVL
As we know, art can be created from all sorts of things. Sometimes, especially striking or emotionally moving pieces are made from the most unusual material. This holds true for art inspired by heartache as well, including a poignant work by digital artist D’ana Nunez titled D’ana of Covl.
It is a metal locker that represents the one shared by Nunez and her former boyfriend. The two met in front of the school locker, which she has now immortalized, and dated for 9 months until he broke up with her with a text message. The piece is very realistic, containing books, photos, notes, a backpack, and various other items typical of a high school locker. The authenticity makes the work particularly effective in evoking memories of doomed teenage romances for those who view it.
In the description, Nunez says: “Now this locker represents a tiring moment of heartbreak all bundled up in a 5′ piece of gauge steel. Sorted through moments of organized mess, a relationship that was made to last.”[4]
6 The Nightmare
Making Sense of Henry Fuseli’s Nightmare Painting
Unrequited love can be as painful as a relationship coming to an end. One of the boldest and most provocative examples of an artist inspired by love that was not fulfilled is Henry Fuseli’s 1781 painting The Nightmare, which many believe was based on his unrequited love for acquaintan