Hilma af Klint (1862 – 1944) was a Swedish artist and mystic whose paintings are considered among the first abstract works known in Western art history.Af Klint studied at the city’s Royal Academy of Fine Arts, graduating with honors in 1887.She soon established herself as a respected painter in Stockholm, exhibiting deftly rendered figurative paintings and serving briefly as secretary of the Association of Swedish Women Artists.She showed an early ability in visual art, and after the family had moved to Stockholm, she studied at the Academy of Fine Arts for five years during which time she learned portraiture and landscape painting.

Starting in 1896, af Klint and four of her female artist friends formed a cadre known as the Friday Group, which was dedicated to the study of Judeo-Christian scripture, followed by séances intended to reach beings that existed beyond the visible world.By 1904, she was claiming that she’d been commanded to do artworks by these beings, and working under the sign of one such deity named Amaliel, she undertook a full year of preparation to create what would become some of her most famous works.Af Klint created experimental automatic drawing as early as 1896, leading  towards an inventive geometric visual language capable of conceptualizing invisible forces both of the inner and outer worlds.The artist’s later period abstract art (1906-1920) delved into symbolism with a combination of geometry, figuration, scientific research and religious practices.With unsurpassed wisdom and in anticipation of human foolishness, not only did af Klint state that her work was not to be shown for 20 years following her death, but she also stipulated that no work could be sold separately, ensuring that her artworks could not become misunderstood commodities.More of Hilma af Klint‘s spiritual artwork can be found at https://www.theartstory.org/artist/af-klint-hilma/ and at the Guardian.