Geri deGruy's blog of art, musings, and inspiration

YES!

Before she died, Swedish artist Hilma af Klint stipulated that her work not be shown until 20 years after her death!

Well, it IS modern and abstract and most likely people weren't ready for her yet. 

But now her work is becoming known and being exhibited worldwide.

Hilma af Klint was a prolific painter even before Mondrian and Kandinsky hit the scene. 

She developed a personal lexicon of symbols for her work. For example:

spirals - evolution

U - the spiritual world

W - matter

overlapping discs - unity

yellow and roses (go figure) - masculinity

blue and lilacs - femininity

The picture above shows 7 of the "10 Largest," a group of af Klint's works about the evolution of humans from childhood to old age.

Each one is over 10 feet tall. (and she was tiny.) In one article I read, the author said a small footprint shadow could be seen in one painting!

a picture of the young Hilma

For ten years Hilma met with four other women artists (called "The Five") to have seances. They practiced automatic writing and drawing. In one of her trances, Hilma received what she called "a commission" to paint on "an astral plane"

and represent the "immortal aspects of man."

So off she went, creating 193 paintings from 1906-1915 called "Paintings for the Temple." She believed the paintings came through her by "divine dictation."

Altarpiece

Geometric abstraction is a term used to describe the work of Hilma af Klint. 

Her interest in science, evolution, spirituality and unity found expression in 1200 paintings, 100 texts and 26,000 pages of notes!

This woman did some work!! She was not a slacker!

Here is a short video about her and her work that you might enjoy.

Altarpiece 

Some words people used to describe Hilma as a person.

tiny

intense blue eyes

unsentimental

resolute

vegetarian

wore only black

sense of humor

high energy

The Evolution #9, Group 6

"Life is a farce if a person does not serve truth." (Hilma af Klint)

Series 1, #7

How exciting to find this "new" and wonderfully creative artist!

If you are in London this spring, the Serpentine Galleries have an exhibit of the works of Hilma af Klint from 3-3-16 through 5-15-16.