Hilma Af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers

Across the spring and summer seasons of 1919 and 1920, Swedish artist Hilma af Klint engaged in a period of intense observation of nature, venturing into forests and fields and drawing the flowers she found there.  In pencil and jewel-toned watercolor, af Klint juxtaposed exquisitely rendered blossoms with enigmatic diagrams: a blooming sunflower is echoed by nested circles; lily of the valley is joined by a colorful checkerboard; catsfoot is set against a pair of mirrored spirals. Together, these two modes—representational and abstract—demonstrate the artist’s belief that close observation of nature reveals "what stands behind the flowers": ineffable aspects of the human character. Published in conjunction with the first public exhibition of this rare portfolio, 

Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) trained at Stockholm’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts and established herself as a professional artist. In the first decade of the 20th century, she developed a unique abstract vocabulary, some years earlier than her peers. Whether on canvas or on paper, her singular work is informed by her spiritual investigations and, as this project demonstrates, an interest in and attunement to the natural world.