The Broken Column (1944) painting by Frida Kahlo was painted as a visual image of Kahlo’s chronic pain, which was a result of her spinal surgery from a fatal car accident she was in when she was 18 years old. Her chronic pain is portrayed by the nails all over her skin, the tears running down her cheeks, and the Ionic column revealed by the large area of skin cut open running down her front torso. She appears naked, braces around her torso appearing like a metal corset to hold her in place.