What Stands Behind the Flowers

In April 1919, the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint ventured outside her studio to draw the first blossoms of spring. Having spent the previous decade creating an epic series of paintings filled with vivid geometric and organic forms—among that era’s earliest explorations of abstraction—she was now embarking on a project rooted in study of the natural world. “I will try,” she declared, “to grasp the flowers of the earth.” The resulting watercolors, af Klint’s Nature Studies, depict more than one hundred blossoming plants in exquisite detail. But these are not conventional botanical drawings: alongside the jewel-tone blooms, af Klint composed abstract diagrams—enigmatic spirals, targets, nested squares, and more—that visualize the spiritual qualities she observed in her subjects. “I have shown,” she wrote, “that there is a connection between the plant world and the world of the soul.” Hilma af Klint: What Stands Behind the Flowers accompanies the inaugural exhibition of the Nature Studies, presenting this extraordinary portfolio alongside newly translated excerpts from the artist’s writings. A suite of essays surveys the Nature Studies’ inception, materiality, and philosophical touchstones; related works by af Klint—including some only recently discovered—provide further context. Revealing the depth and significance of her botanical knowledge, the volume offers an essential new perspective on the achievements of this pioneering artist. 272 pages, 216 illustrations.