The Fine Print — Hilma af Klint

Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) was a Swedish artist whose abstract work predates the “inventors” of the movement, but was not recognized until 40 years after her death. Everyone has a unique life story, but this one is a trip! Let’s delve into the life of Hilma af Klint and shed some light on her journey & unique artistic vision.

Talented Multifaceted Artist:

Hilma af Klint was born in Sweden, a country that permitted women to pursue art careers, an unusual thing at the time. She mastered drawing, portraits, & landscapes, and went on to establish a respected career in Sotckholm, Sweden. At one point she served as the secretary of the Association of Swedish Women Artists. To most people around her that was the end of the story, nothing to see here, just a normal artist doing normal artist things…however, behind the scenes, Hilma was living a double life. The truth is, she was living two seperate lives…

Exploring the Spiritual Realm:

Hilma believed in a spiritual, paranormal & supernatural world (a growing trend at the end of the 1800's). She was part of a group of women that called themselves “The 5” which pursued greater awareness through meditation, seances, and other rituals. During their pursuits they made contact with spirits known as The High Masters.

The Five, active between 1896 and 1908, recorded messages from higher spirits referred to as The High Masters. In trancelike states, the group believed they could communicate with mystic beings with names such as Amaliel, Ananda and Gregor — understood to be intermediaries of The High Masters — transcribing their messages via automatic writing and drawing.

These encounters would profoundly shape Hilma’s artistic journey. During their chats (or whatever it is you do to communicate with interdimensional beings) Hilma was instructed to create art for them. This would lead to some of the most fascinating art of her career.

Art as a Channel for the Transcendent:

The High Masters compelled Her to create art for something called “The Temple,” a place on a different plane of existence. This, at 44, is when she began creating abstract art. She completed 193 paintings for “The Temple.” Her process was peculiar, because she claimed the art was autonomic (done with her hands, but guided by a separate force). She had no idea what was going on the canvas until it happened.

Initial Criticism and Emotional Turmoil:

In 1908, her work caught the attention of Rudolf Steiner, a renowned critic, occultist, and philosopher; you could say he was an “influencer” of his day. The story goes that she highly anticipated presenting her art, but despite sharing many of the same occult beliefs, he was dubious about paintings made for otherworldly beings and considered it inappropriate. Unimpressed, he thought the work for “The Temple” was mid at best. He did have some appreciation though, because he predicted that her work would not be understood or appreciated until after at least another 50 years. Hilma af Klint was wrecked emotionally by this encounter and didn’t paint for 4 years afterwards. She eventually finished the art for “The Temple” around 1915 and continued to create abstract art alongside her daily work.

Recognition and Legacy:

During her life Hilma’s “regular” work was included in plenty of exhibitions, but her abstract art remained largely unseen to the public. She continued to be involved in spiritualism and was a a disciple of Anthroposophy. Some people believe that several of her paintings in the 1930’s predicted battles and parts of World War II. As she aged, Hilma planned to keep her abstract work sealed away past her death. In her will she stipulated that her work should be put away for an additional 20 years after her death. Once unpacked and seen in the late 1960’s, awareness and appreciation for her groundbreaking art grew bit by bit until gaining wider awareness in the 1980's. In total, Hilma af Klint’s collection of abstract paintings includes more than 1200 pieces. Fast-forward to today and Hilma af Klint is hailed as a monumental pioneering figure, and her contributions continue to resonate with audiences worldwide. A 2018 exhibition on her work titled “Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future” is the best attended show in the history of the Guggenheim museum.

“The Fine Print” is a collection of musings on art, culture, and technology. For articles on branding, marketing, and community management check out 19% of success is showing up or Marketing Case Study — Women’s Razors

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