af Klint

Hilma af Klint

Hilma af Klint’s “Paintings for the Future” at the Guggenheim museum was an experience worth being a part of. Her work was most appealing because it “broke all the rules of art” and offered insight into the bravery of female artist of her time. I found her exhibition inspirational as she was involved in spiritualism and incorporated it in her artwork; “af Klint was deeply involved in spiritualism,” in which I can relate to since growing up in a spiritual family; religion was at the forefront. With this, I have often been challenged on choosing to be either a Christian performer or secular performer. I can only salute Hilma as I am sure she had many more obstacles to face then than I do today in getting art across to audiences. I believe that Hilma af Klint’s work is a testament to hard work, dedication, and resilience.

Furthermore, Hilma dared to be different in her creativity. Being one of the first artists to start abstract paintings is a testament to just how audacious she was. She wasn’t hindered at all by gender and saw that her artwork would be accepted or understood in future generations, “I think her impulse not to show the work to the public, and to hold it pretty privately throughout most of her life, was really motivated by wanting an understanding audience,” says Bashkoff.” Looking at Hilma’s pieces, I gathered that she was fond of botanical drawings and painted circles in mostly all her pieces; the cross is also prevalent in her works. I conclude that she often used these shapes because they represented spiritual wholeness. As mentioned by Helen Molesworth, ““It seems like she is making pictures of how things are interrelated. She is trying to make a picture that draws on disparate fields of knowledge in a synthetic manner. She is producing a picture that is both image and diagram. . . . In essence, she’s offering a Gaia-like theory of radical holistic interconnectivity.” Hilma af Klint reflects a deep involvement in spiritualism and the wisdom concerning God altogether. Her art teaches us to be bold and courageous even when there are others who don’t believe in us. I will use what I’ve learned while viewing and learning about her to better my artistic endeavors.

Dover, Caitlin. “Who Was Hilma Af Klint?: At the Guggenheim, Paintings by an Artist Ahead of Her Time.” Guggenheim, 12 Oct. 2018, www.guggenheim.org/blogs/checklist/who-was-hilma-af-klint-at-the-guggenheim-paintings-by-an-artist-ahead-of-her-time.

Ventura, Anya. “Secret Séances and High Masters: The Making of Mystic Painter Hilma Af Klint.” Frieze, 11 Oct. 2018, frieze.com/article/secret-seances-and-high-masters-making-mystic-painter-hilma-af-klint.