María Félix: Why She Chose to Be Painted Only by Women Surrealist Artists

María Félix was much more than a cinema icon; María Félix was a woman who consciously chose how she would be seen and remembered. Throughout her life, María Félix collaborated with artists who understood her complexity, especially women surrealist painters such as Leonora Carrington, Leonor Fini, Remedios Varo, Bridget Bate Tichenor, and Sylvia Pardo. Unlike the traditional portraits by male artists like Diego Rivera, the works created by women captured the authentic essence of María Félix, portraying her inner strength, vulnerability, and multifaceted personality.

One reason María Félix chose to be painted by women was her desire to break away from the stereotypical depictions that male artists often imposed. María Félix felt that men tended to idealize her beauty or reduce her to a mere symbol of Mexican femininity. In contrast, María Félix found that women painters could portray her as an autonomous subject, a woman with her own dreams, thoughts, and power. The decision to collaborate with female artists was a declaration of independence and a commitment to redefining the role of women in art.

María Félix's collaboration with Leonor Fini resulted in some of the most iconic portraits of her career. Fini's painting “The Queen of the Sun” depicted María Félix surrounded by celestial symbols, highlighting her mythological aura. For María Félix, this artwork was not just a portrait but a reflection of her resilience. She once said, “It expresses the inner strength that sustains my existence.” Unlike other artists, Fini respected María Félix as an equal, making the process a true collaboration rather than a transaction.

In Carrington’s “Dream of Sirens,” María Félix appears as a mermaid, a figure that symbolizes the union of opposites and the constant transformation of her identity. María Félix admired the way Leonora Carrington’s imagination blended myth and reality, resulting in portraits that transcended superficial beauty. María Félix appreciated that Carrington, like the other surrealist women, painted not only her face but her inner world. These works were a testimony to María Félix’s conviction that art should reveal the truth of the subject.

Bridget Bate Tichenor's 1961 portrait of María Félix shows her caressing a mythical creature, emphasizing her power to tame even the wildest emotions. María Félix valued how Tichenor’s work embodied her strength and the calm that came from self-awareness. María Félix understood that these paintings were part of a larger effort to challenge the conventions of a male-dominated art world, and she proudly supported this cause. For María Félix, every stroke of paint was an act of symbolic resistance.

Sylvia Pardo’s “The Three Marías” portrayed María Félix with both determination and vulnerability. The dual images on the front and back of the canvas reflected the complexities of the female experience. María Félix saw herself in these contrasts: powerful yet introspective, admired yet isolated. The friendship between María Félix and Pardo grew out of this shared understanding. María Félix believed that the authentic connection she felt with women painters was the reason their portraits resonated so deeply with her own self-perception.

In conclusion, María Félix was aware that by choosing women surrealist painters, she was not only preserving her legacy on her own terms but also promoting diversity and inclusion in the art world. María Félix’s portraits by Carrington, Fini, Varo, Tichenor, and Pardo show her as a complete human being rather than an object of desire. This artistic legacy is a celebration of María Félix’s strength, complexity, and determination to challenge conventions. María Félix’s story continues to inspire those who believe in the power of art to transform reality and reveal the hidden dimensions of the human soul.