Artist Deep-Dive
Examining Hilma af Klint
I’ve become increasingly aware that many of you have never heard of Hilma af Klint, which is a defensible position, as her presence is absent from many of the ‘traditional’ books and lessons used to teach Art History, and her work rarely made the mainstream prior to "Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future," the 2018/19 exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum in NYC. This wasn’t an omission as much as a request, as af Klint, from the exhibit’s press release, “rarely exhibited her groundbreaking paintings and, convinced the world was not ready for them, stipulated that they not be shown for twenty years following her death (in 1944).” Ultimately, her work remained all but unseen by the public until 1986, and it wasn’t until a few years ago when the Guggenheim show aired that the general population began to not just become aware of her work, but start to realize she had been a giant in hibernation.
Hilma af Klint was born in 1862, and “belonged to a group called ‘The Five’, comprising a circle of women inspired by Theosophy, who shared a belief in the importance of trying to contact the so-called ‘High Masters’—often by way of séances. Her paintings, which sometimes resemble diagrams, were a visual representation of complex spiritual ideas,” (Wikipedia). This extended layer is striking and obvious when viewing af Klint’s work, and immediately prompts the viewer to take deeper reflection. The mystical aspect and soothing color palette also play well with unique sports imagery, which is why she’s become a favorite to feature in the account.
The visual beauty and scale of af Klint’s work is alone enough to garner attention and adoration. But part of what takes her work into the pantheon of greats is an understanding of its place in history. A significant portion of her catalog predates “Kandinsky, Malevich and Mondrian,” who have long been recognized as the forefathers of abstract painters “taking strides to free their own artwork of representational content.”
Even today, af Klint continues to be shrouded in mystery. As Zachary Small details in this late 2023 NYT piece, scholars now believe some of her catalog is attributed to another member of ‘The Five,’ Anna Cassel, who was also af Klint’s lover. The article separately goes into detail about the ongoing controversy surrounding the Hilma af Klint Foundation, and ownership over the artist’s legacy.
Full of talent, drama, intrigue, and spirituality, it’s clear af Klint (and her collaborators) belong squarely amongst the masters, and I can’t wait to bring more of their work to the forefront in the future.
Two additional af Klint memes for paid subscribers