Hilma af Klint "What Stands Behind the Flowers" at the Museum of Modern Art

Hilma af Klint What Stands Behind the Flowers at the Museum of Modern Art

James Kalm has been fascinated with the work of Hilma af Klint since first discovering it in the catalog for “The Spiritual in Art: Abstract Painting 1890-1985” Curated by Maurice Tuchmanin at LACMA in 1987. Since then, your correspondent has presented video programs of af Klint’s work at the New Museum, and the ground breaking mega-exhibition at the Guggenheim in 2018. “What Stands Behind the Flowers” is a fitting sequel to these shows, and presents a substantial body of later works that are little known to the general art viewing public. As a devout believer in spiritualism, Theosophy, and Rudolf Steiner’s Anthroposophy, af Klint was in the vanguard of European New Age philosophy. With the ravages of World War I wreaking havoc, af Klint meets with Steiner, and begins a new phase in her work, a more modest though no less important practice of hiking in the forests, studying and illustrating the unseen life forces of plants, on paper in watercolor ink and graphite. This body of work referred to as The "Nature Studies" portfolio consists of 46 botanical drawings that blend detailed depictions of plants with abstract diagrams, exploring the connection between the visible world and an unseen, spiritual reality. A musical introduction is provided by Alice Valentine. This program was recorded July 26, 2025. #jameskalmreport #jameskalmroughcut #lorenmunk