theosophic works: hilma af klint

youth - #3, group IV, 1907

adulthood - #6, group IV, 1907

adulthood - #7, group IV, 1907

adulthood - #8, group IV, 1907

there are ten works in this series, these were just my favorites. they represent the phases of life, from infancy to old age. they are enormous and dominant works. they were painted on paper using hand-mixed tempera paints. they had been rolled for years in an attic (luckily dry), since hilma af klint's will specified that the works could not be shown for 20 years after her death. she believed she was painting the connection between the physical and inner worlds we inhabit. she believed the pictures came to her from a higher consciousness, which conveyed its message through her. she created a whole symbolic language with which to convey these messages. it has yet to be fully decoded, despite her leaving behind extensive journals, documentation and notes. scholars are only beginning to give her work the attention it so richly deserves.

the swan, #16, group IX/SUW, 1915

the swan, #17, group IX/SUW, 1915

the swan, #17, group IX/SUW, 1915

in af klint's symbolic language, blue represents the feminine and yellow the masculine. i find that quite appealing and feel it underlines how today's pink for girls and blue for boys is a more modern construct and just that, a construct, not something inherent in the colors themselves. although the works try to convey a spiritual message from another plane of consciousness, they are very rigorous and quite scientific in their discipline. every color and line is laden with meaning.

alter work #1, group X, 1915

there are three large paintings in this series and i'm not sure why i didn't photograph the other two, as they were marvelous in the whole they presented, the three of them hanging together. it makes me want to go back, tho' there isn't much time, as the exhibition closes june 6.

i find these abstract works to be thought provoking and evocative. despite the crowds and that we were in a bit of a hurry that day, i found they triggered something deep in my solar plexis, something indefinable and which i can't yet put words to. perhaps she really did capture something of a higher consciousness and tho' i don't consciously understand what it's saying in so many words, it felt like they were actually communicating to my soul.

you can read more about hilma af klint here.

what art says when it speaks to us

in recent days, i've come across several artists on flickr whose work just totally blows me away. and what's a bit strange is that when you see the three i'm talking about, you'll wonder about me, because they're nothing like one another. but i'll try to explain what it is that thrills me about their work...all pictures are their own from flickr, so please follow the links and look at the rest of their photostreams if you're interested.

first, is UK artist sophie callaghan's amazing embroidered blanket. i can see on sophie's blog that she's about to move to the US and has a free shipping offer in her etsy shop, so be sure to check it out, she's got the cutest art dolls that i'm currently restraining myself from buying.

i love so much about this, the mix of fabrics and stitching and found objects and techniques. looking at it makes me feel decidedly restrained, prim and proper in the embroidery i've been doing and makes me want to open up and be much more wild and free and imaginative. i need to loosen up!

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next up, intricate and detailed totems by south african artist robyn gordon - art propelled. i saw on her blog that her home and studio are filled with books, so it was an instant follow for me.

what speaks to me here is both the wood and the typecase drawer quality they have. i am utterly charmed by the fact that they are filled with small objects. that appeals to my inner collector. here's a closer view of that typecase quality.

it feels like the kind of art you could go on looking and looking at and keep discovering something new.

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lastly, i stumbled onto the most whimsical little stools by wood and wool stool that are made of recycled wood and topped with little handmade crochet tops that are both old fashioned and extremely fresh and modern in equal measure. the artist is dutch and she blogs here.

these appeal to me on so many levels. i love their simplicity. i love that they're made of recycled materials. i love that they have an old-fashioned handmade element that makes me think of my grandmother's piano bench. the entire look and feel of them is fresh and inviting and comforting and like a fresh breeze through a summer house. i'd love to capture such a feel in an entire room. but i suppose it means i'll have to have white walls.

why do you love the art you love?