Swedish painter Hilma af Klint was born in 1862, and she produced some of the earliest abstract paintings in the western world. Her unique paintings were thought to be visual representations of complex spiritual ideas, and they were born out of a life filled with mysticism and other spirituality.

The world of painting hadn’t seen this style of abstracted shapes and ideas before, let alone from a woman, which makes her work all the more important and impressive.

She was under-appreciated in the art world during her active years, and had only exhibited her work a few times before her death. She’s now considered an early pioneer in the world of abstract art, and we find her paintings beautifully vibrant and thoughtful.

“The pictures were painted directly through me, without any preliminary drawings, and with great force. I had no idea what the paintings were supposed to depict; nevertheless I worked swiftly and surely, without changing a single brush stroke.”

Klint photographed in 1901. She died in 1944.


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Author

Ben VanderVeen is the founder and editor of Moss & Fog, one of the web’s longest-running visual culture destinations. Since 2009, he’s been finding and framing the most beautiful, surprising, and thought-provoking work in art, architecture, design, and nature — reaching over 325,000 readers each month. He lives in Portland, Oregon.

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