Tracing the absent. Hilma af Klint’s mystical language
The Figurativeness of the Language of Mystical Experience January 1, 2021 Peer reviewed DOI: 10.5817/cz.muni.p210-9997-2021-22
Summary
This paper examines the mysticism of Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) by analyzing her notebooks, especially one from 1919–1920 titled Flowers, Mosses, and Lichens. It explores her religious experience and search for existential answers through contact with divine entities, noting their familiarity with Christian beliefs. The analysis focuses on the symbolic content to approach af Klint's Christian, metaphysical, and anthroposophical message.
Study at a glance
| Design | theoretical or philosophical paper |
|---|---|
| Key finding | The paper argues that af Klint's notebooks, particularly Flowers, Mosses, and Lichens, convey a Christian, metaphysical, and anthroposophical message through their symbolic content. |
Abstract
The main aim of this paper is to study the mysticism of the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) in relation to her religious experience and her searching for existential answers through contact with divine entities. Although the identity of these figures is not clear, we are aware of their familiarity with Christian beliefs. Thus, in this paper we attempt to approach Af Klint’s Christian, metaphysical and anthroposophical message by analysing her notebooks. Particularly, we focus on the symbolic aspect of one of them made between 1919 and 1920, entitled Flowers, Mosses, and Lichens.