Hilma af Klint
Swedish mystic and pioneer of abstract painting.
Last updated
A Swedish artist and mystic, Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) created paintings that are regarded as some of the earliest major abstract works in Western art.[1]
Life and work
In 1908, she met Rudolf Steiner, who introduced her to his theories regarding the arts.[2] Through her work with The Five, she created experimental automatic drawing as early as 1896.[3] The works for the Temple were created between 1906 and 1915, carried out in two phases.[4] At age twenty, she entered the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, finishing with honors.[5]
What the cited sources add
The "Hilma af Klint's Relationship with Anthroposophy" source notes that she spent considerable time in Dornach through the 1920s.[6] The same source states that she gave a talk to the Swedish Anthroposophical Society in 1924.[6] Erkan's article in AEQAI describes her paintings as often depicting symmetrical dualities or reciprocities.[7][8] Dintino's article on Nasty Women Writers asserts that af Klint was queer and believed gender would become fluid and move towards pure androgyny.[9]
Troisi's article in GO Magazine states that af Klint was a lesbian.[10] Erkan points out that blue metaphorically represents the female spirit and yellow the male one in her color choices.[7][8] According to Adler's PAPER Magazine article, af Klint never married, resided exclusively with women, and placed great importance on her close female friendships.[11][12]
References
- Wikipedia, "Hilma af Klint" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Cain, "What Was the First Abstract Artwork?", Artsy.net, 31 March 2017; "A Brief History of Abstract Art with Turner, Mondrian, and More", www.tate.org.uk; Bashkoff, T., ed., et al., Hilma Af Klint (New York: Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, 2018).; Bashkoff, Tracey, Hilma af Klint: Paintings for the Future, ArtBook, 2018. (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hilma af Klint" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Gaze, "Concise Dictionary of Women Artists", Taylor & Francis, 2001, p. 413 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hilma af Klint" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Hilma af Klint, Hilma af Klint and The Five's Sketchbooks: No. S2, S6 and S13: 5 October 1896 – 10 January 1906 (Stockholm: Bokförlaget Stolpe, 2022).; af Klint, "Notes and Methods", The University of Chicago Press, 2018; "Klint, Hilma Af", Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hilma af Klint" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Stasinski, "The Artist Who Painted af Klint's Works", Kunstkritikk, 2023-01-25 (original not read by us) en.wikipedia.org
- Wikipedia, "Hilma af Klint" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: af Klint, "Notes and Methods", The University of Chicago Press, 2018; "Klint, Hilma Af", Benezit Dictionary of Artists, 2011 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- "Hilma af Klint's Relationship with Anthroposophy", 26 May 2023. facts only, no text reused. dasgoetheanum.com
- Erkan, "Hilna Af Klint at The Guggenheim: Metaphysics as it Patrols Mortality's Borders", AEQAI. facts only, no text reused. web.archive.org
- Wikipedia, "Hilma af Klint" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Erkan, "Hilna Af Klint at The Guggenheim: Metaphysics as it Patrols Mortality's Borders", AEQAI (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
- Dintino, "Nasty Woman Artist Hilma af Klint: How the World Works", Nasty Women Writers, 2023-08-02. facts only, no text reused. nastywomenwriters.com
- Troisi, "I Talked To 5 Queer Elders And Learned An Important Lesson About My History", GO Magazine, 2018-11-28. facts only, no text reused. gomag.com
- Adler, "Hilma af Klint's Queer Clairvoyance", PAPER Magazine, 23 April 2019. facts only, no text reused. papermag.com
- Wikipedia, "Hilma af Klint" (CC BY-SA 4.0), which cites: Adler, "Hilma af Klint's Queer Clairvoyance", PAPER Magazine, 23 April 2019; Dintino, "Nasty Woman Artist Hilma af Klint: How the World Works", Nasty Women Writers, 2023-08-02; Troisi, "I Talked To 5 Queer Elders And Learned An Important Lesson About My History", GO Magazine, 2018-11-28 (we also read that source) en.wikipedia.org
Each numbered sentence above was checked against the source it cites before publication. Sentences citing Wikipedia adapt text from the English Wikipedia article Hilma af Klint (contributors), used under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is available under the same licence. Other sources were used for facts only; no text or images are copied from them.
More in Modern & Contemporary Artists
Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Hilma af Klint (CC BY-SA 4.0).
Spotted an error? Know more?
Reader corrections go straight into our review queue. Suggest an edit · How this site is sourced
