Hilma af Klint was a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history. As a clairvoyant and mystic, Af Klint believed that her abstracts were painted under the direction of higher spirits. No one had created paintings like hers before – so monumental in scale, with such radiant color combinations, enigmatic symbols and other-worldly shapes. In an era of limited creative freedom for women, her paintings became an outlet for her exceptional intelligence, spiritual quest and ground-breaking artistic vision.
The subject of a recent smash retrospective at the Guggenheim Museum, af Klint was for years an all-but-forgotten figure in art historical discourse, before her long-delayed rediscovery. Halina Dyrschka’s course correcting documentary describes not only the life and craft of Af Klint, but also the process of her mischaracterization and her erasure by both a patriarchal narrative of artistic progress and capitalistic determination of artistic value.
Director Halina Dyrschka joins us to talk about her own journey in making this compelling and powerful film and the importance of shattering the art world narrative of marginalizing woman artists.
Hosted by Laura Lee & Paul Robear, Conversation4Exploration.com, Conversation 4 Exploration, ConversationforExploration, Conversation for Exploration, CuyamungueInstitute.com