While attending the Hilma af Klint exhibition at the Guggenheim Museum, the class was asked to observes the artist’s connection from her work to spiritualism. Personally, I believed that this assignment would be difficult due to personal belief in religion and spirituality, but I did find ease while observing the exhibition. It took awhile to make a connection with my over analyzing at the exhibition as well as the pictures I had taken to revise at home.
In the moments of my personal revision of af Klint’s work, I had the realization that her work is more than just spiritualism. A main connection that was made was the stages of life itself, using flowers and symetrics. af Klint’s The Ten Largest features 10 paintings depicts the human life cycle that is represented through abstract and abstract forms, expressed simplified Swedish folk art and symbols in spiritual movements. The following images are in the order of childhood, youth, adulthood, and old age. According to Anya Ventura, a writer for Frieze, af Klint viewed herself as a holy transcriptionist, being able to translate the life of a flower to the life of a human.
The first painting depicts flowers growing out of their their seeds. This would represent a child growing into the next stage, but needs to be cradled and taken care of. A flower seed needs water and sunlight in order to grow properly just like a child needs the proper care in order to grow strong. The childhood stage represents the fragility and innocence of childhood that the average child often take for granted because of their wanting to grow up. An innocence cherished by those who are older who wish to obtain such innocence again in their lifetime.
Youth is the stage that comes after childhood. Some knowledge of the real world is gained, but is still restricted to maintain what is left of childhood innocence. In this painting, the seeds are beginning to sprout, but still require proper care before going on to the next stage of life. For those who are in the adolescent stage, this is when responsibility is being taught while still being neutered. Before going into adulthood, an adolescent goes through identity development as well as figuring out what they want in their life for the next stage. This aspect is represented through the different colors and shapes; the swirls in the image cultivating the spiral of determining what is wanted and needed.
The third stage, being adulthood, shows that the flower has fully bloomed, symbolizing the complete physical and psychological development in life. The adult has developed its vibrant colors and is stabilized. Adults have a few years where their stability is strong before going into the final stage. Like youth, adulthood will have some struggles that need to be overcome. The squiggles beneath the fully bloomed flower could symbolize minor conflicts. Unlike youth, an adult has clear sense as to how such conflict are resolved, not having to spend too much time figuring out ways to move on.
The fourth and final stage, old age, is the end of the human life cycle, often ending in death. In this painting, the symmetrics are mundane and saddening, possibly meaning that the flower has died off. It could also represent the tombstone of the one who has moved on the the next life. The swirls surrounding the squares can symbolize all the good and the bad that the flower, or person, had encountered on their journey to the end. Death is often represented of moving on in peace and that one’s purpose in life has been fulfilled.
While examining The Ten Larges, I realized that af Klint wanted to express that life should be take one step at a time. Although there are many hardships that need to be overcome, there are many brightening moments that come with living. Her spirituality expressed through the life cycle of a flower is a clear representation of the human life cycle. Caitlin Dover from the Guggenheim believed that society during af Klint’s life would have never been able to accept her work due to her being a woman. As our society today has been accepting of art in all forms, Hilma af Klint is one who will be admired for a long run.
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