Hilma af Klint - The Best Kept Secret

I approached Hilma af Klint's work as a symbolic artist seeking to deepen my own practice, but what I discovered was a glimpse into one of the best-kept secrets of all time.

For many years, I had explored ancient wisdom and symbolic teachings through art, movement, aesthetics and spirituality. These explorations had already laid the foundations that would draw me towards Hilma's work—the understanding that symbols can hold deeper layers of meaning and that creative practices can become pathways of discovery.

My research into Hilma af Klint began with a curious experience on the first day of my journey. I received a message—a download: I was to focus on X rather than Y. At that time, I had no understanding of what this meant. I knew nothing of Hilma's groupings or the significance of Group X.

Later, while watching a discussion about Hilma af Klint's collection, I discovered Group X. There it was—the connection between the message I had received and the structure of Hilma's work. This became the doorway into deeper immersion as I decided to focus my study on the three altarpieces of Group X. Initially, I believed these three paintings alone would be enough to explore. They became a world of their own—so rich, complex and immersive that I felt I could spend an entire book contemplating them.

As my study deepened, I discovered that Hilma's paintings do not exist as isolated works. They form an interconnected visual language, where symbols, forms and ideas extend from one painting into another. What appears to be a group of individual works reveals a much larger conversation.

Hilma af Klint's paintings are not simple puzzles waiting for a single solution. They are complex symbolic 'mindscapes' that invite contemplation. The longer one looks, the more layers emerge. Through this process, Hilma af Klint revealed herself to me as a visionary artist of extraordinary depth and complexity.

One of the reasons her work continues to fascinate is that it exists at the meeting point of different ways of knowing. Rudolf Steiner spoke of bringing together art, science and spirituality. In her own way, Hilma explored this intersection through her paintings, experiments and her spiritual practices.

This is why the ancient parable of the Blind Men and the Elephant feels so relevant when considering her work. An art historian, a scientist, an artist or a poet may each encounter different aspects of meaning. Each perspective can reveal something valuable, yet no single viewpoint necessarily encompasses the whole.

Through this immersive process of looking, reflecting and engaging with Hilma's symbolic language, my own creative responses began to emerge. These insights became the foundation for my book, Imagine: Contemplating the Symbology of Hilma af Klint. The book is not intended to provide a one-dimensional interpretation of Hilma's work. Instead, it is an invitation to enter into a deeper relationship with her paintings—to approach them with curiosity, openness and a willingness to discover new ways of seeing and knowing.

Hilma af Klint's work continues to open doors. It asks us not only what we see, but how we see.

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