The first time you see a painting by artist Hilma af Klint, you might think it a contemporary work of art. However, af Klint was born over a century ago in Sweden, and her work is now largely considered to be some of the very first abstract paintings done in history. A believer in the occult-based religion of Theosophy, af Klint felt much of her work was directly drawn from otherworldly spirits who communicated to her about what she was to paint. With the help of four other women artists, she created a large body of work that was well ahead of its time. In fact, even af Klint recognized the unusualness of what she was trying to achieve, wishing that her paintings not be shown until 20 years after her death. The world was not ready for af Klint, but eventually her paintings achieved recognition, and she is now a well-beloved artist hailing from the dawn of the 20th century.
In Lasse Hallström’s latest film Hilma, the director attempts to turn the story of af Klint’s life and struggle as an artist into an inspirational Hollywood tale. The film starts with death of af Klint’s much younger sister Hermina which sets the foundation for the artist’s eventual interest and journey into the exploration of the occult. Both siblings are seen as curious about the natural world around them, desiring to explore and make a map of quite literally everything in the entire world. Right from the start though, there is the understanding that because the two are women, they will not have the same opportunities that are afforded to their male counterparts. Still, they operate with the understanding that society may believe their sex incapable of serious thought, but they know otherwise. This emphasis on female empowerment is a theme Hallström returns to repeatedly throughout the course of the film, and though it is true that af Klint was creating work during a time when women were severely undervalued, this specific focus only causes the story to shift away from af Klint herself to become just another standard narrative about an “empowering female ahead of her time.”
This is a shame since Af Klint led a fascinating life filled with a unique viewpoint about her place in the universe and her relation to those around her. Her connection with the four other female artists — Anna Cassel, Cornelia Cederberg, Sigrid Hedman and Mathilda Nilsson — was crucial to her development as an artist herself, and though the film does a considerably good job showing just how enmeshed these five women were in each other’s lives, it still never really seems to get to the heart of their time and creation together. Instead, the entire movie feels like it’s simply playing at being a biopic about af Klint instead of actually being a biopic about her. Whether this is because the movie needed to be palatable to a wider audience or because Hallström himself lacked the ability to understand and interpret af Klint and her work remains to be seen. But if you’re looking for a way to learn about this complicated artist and her unique life, start with her work instead. It already encompasses everything you need to know.
Photo courtesy of Juno Films
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