Hilma af Klint: Geometric Series and Other Works 1917-1920 (Catalogue Raisonné Volume V)

Hilma af Klint's use of botany and science in the elaboration of her spiritual vision was a prominent feature of her work during the last years of the 1910s. During this period, she systematically explored an abstract idiom using ruler and compasses, creating a series of small paintings. According to her notebooks from these years, the triangles, squares, circles, and ellipses that appear in constantly new constellations in these works express a spiritual dynamic.

Hilma af Klint viewed this body of work as a form of research, employing "spiritual scientific" methods, a term borrowed from anthroposophy, in an effort to understand the evolution and development of mankind. Through her studies of living beings, she gained insight into an abstract world of geometrical conditions and guidelines.

The use of botany and science in the elaboration of her spiritual vision was a central aspect of Hilma af Klint's artistic practice during the late 1910s. She created a series of small paintings in which she systematically explored an abstract idiom, using ruler and compasses to construct a visual language of triangles, squares, circles, and ellipses. These geometric forms, arranged in constantly new constellations, were intended to express a spiritual dynamic, as evidenced by her own writings from this period.

Hilma af Klint approached this body of work as a form of research, employing what she referred to as "spiritual scientific" methods, a term derived from anthroposophy, in an attempt to better understand the evolution and development of humanity. Her studies of living beings, both plant and animal, provided her with a lens through which to perceive an abstract realm of geometrical principles and guidelines.

The interplay of botany, science, and spirituality was fundamental to Hilma af Klint's artistic vision during the final years of the 1910s. Through a systematic exploration of an abstract visual idiom, utilizing ruler and compasses, she created a series of small paintings that sought to express a profound spiritual dynamic. Her own writings from this period reveal her conviction that these geometric forms, arranged in constantly shifting configurations, held the key to comprehending the evolution and development of the human condition.

Hilma af Klint's use of scientific methodologies, particularly in the realm of botany, was central to her efforts to elaborate her spiritual vision during the late 1910s. She approached this body of work as a form of research, employing what she termed "spiritual scientific" techniques, a concept derived from anthroposophy, in an attempt to gain deeper insight into the evolution and development of humanity. Her studies of living beings, both plant and animal, informed her understanding of an abstract world of geometrical conditions and guidelines, which she then translated into a visual language of triangles, squares, circles, and ellipses.

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