The Esoteric Botany of Hilma af Klint

Sunday, March 8, 7:00

In addition to her realistic paintings of plants, the unique Swedish artist Hilma af Klint used a variety of plant-related symbols in her celebrated abstract, spiritually inspired paintings. Some of these have complex histories in the development of esoteric traditions, such as her Tree of Knowledge series, while others, especially from the 1920s,  are completely original and based on her own meditative practice or her own clairvoyant spiritual-scientific research, such as her three notebooks of research into the spiritual, emotional, and therapeutic qualities of many species of plants, which she donated to the Anthroposophical Society at the Goetheanum in Switzerland. This slide lecture will survey this artwork, with special attention to the paintings on exhibition.

David Adams, Ph.D. Author and teacher of art history at colleges and art schools for 30 years.