Hilma af Klint's Development of an Abstract Language through the Spiritual

Abstract

This paper looks into the life of artist Hilma af Klint and how she was a pioneer in the world of abstract painting; how she became interested in the Spiritualist movement, and how her Spiritualist practices led her to paint in new and innovative ways. The paper dives into her process of communing with spirits and translating their messages through painting in her life's mission to complete The Paintings for the Temple and how through this mission given to her by her spirit guides she developed a new and unique abstract language through her use of symbols, codes, and contemporary art practices despite working relatively separate form the art world of her time and boldly rejecting representation, being arguably the first painter to create completely abstract works of art.