The abstract artwork of Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) predated that of Kandinsky, Klee, and Mondrian, and so some say that she rather than a “he” was the inventor of abstract art. She knew herself that she was painting well before her time and asked that her work not be exhibited until 20 years past her death. However, that stretch of restraint lasted much longer. Only recently is her work being given the kind of renown and interest she has long deserved.
Like so many artists, her artwork was inspired by a spiritual perspective, in her case a keen interest in Buddhism and Theosophy, and the Occult. What I love about her paintings are the rich colors and elegant organic shapes, the playful designs and sense of connectivity. Her art reminds me of Georgia O’Keefe’s works in some ways, the boldly feminine and evocative.
More about her life and work can be found in the links below.
For more on af Klint: https://www.latimes.com/entertainment-arts/story/2020-04-16/beyond-visible-hilma-af-klint ; https://medium.com/nightingale/hilma-af-klint-visualizing-the-spirit-world-bb54781d9beb ; https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/arts/design/hilma-af-klint-review-guggenheim.htm l; https://www.hilmaafklint.se/om-hilma-af-klint/
and yes, she was Swedish…
Yes she was! I forgot to mention that. Her life story is so interesting.
Thanks for introducing us to new art, painters, and poets Deborah. I had not heard of her and enjoy some of these paintings and the whimsical feeling and shapes.
She was new to me too. I love learning of new (to me) artists that inspire, and especially overlooked women artists.
Deborah, did you see the documentary? I didn’t but it look fascinating.
I didn’t see it. What’s it called?
Thanks for posting this video, Valorie. So interesting. i’ll have to see if I can find more on video about her life and art.
Love this, Deborah! Reminds me a bit of the ‘Women of Abstract Expressionism’ Exhibit that I saw at the Denver Art Museum around 2016. So exciting to unveil more ‘masterpieces’ into the mainstream.
Some day, we’ll get to where we can just talk about being an artist or some artist’s body of work without having to always qualify it with ‘woman’ or whatever. Yes, the info is important, but as a qualifier, it always has gotten under my skin. Even though I understand the reasoning/need/history of why it’s done.
Thanks for introducing me to this ‘new’ body of work!
Yes, Laura, like you, I too will look forward to that day when a qualifier isn’t needed. In the meantime discovering overlooked talent is exciting and rewarding. And I’m happy that this is becoming more common.
Me too!
Holy crap, how did I not know or remember that she was a she?
Too funny, Luanne! 🙂
Lovely Patterns… ❤