Hilma Af Klint and Piet Mondrian: Forms of Life at Tate Modern: Review

Words by Otty Allum

Group IV, No. 7. The Ten Largest, Adulthood, Hilma af Klint, 1907.

I recently visited the Tate Modern exhibition Forms of Life which featured the work of both Hilma af Klint and Piet Mondrian. The exhibition as a whole explored how these two artists developed a radical visual language in order to reflect the nature of existence. Their work came to represent the technological and scientific advancements of the time and exemplified how the turn of the century led to new ways of perceiving the world.  Piet Mondrian (b.1872) is well known for being a pioneer of abstract art, he developed his own non-representational practice which he named neo-plasticism, which deconstructed representation into its most basic shapes, forms and colours. Hilma af Klint (b.1862) is considered to have created the first ever abstract artwork, she was particularly involved in spiritualism and her work reflects a preoccupation with the unseen. Both artists were involved with the Theosophical movement which was a group that aimed to explore the hidden energy which connects all living things. The exhibition shows how the featured abstract forms are grounded in an in-depth understanding and command of, not only the physical representation of the natural world, but something beyond that.

Dune IV, Piet Mondrian, 1909.

The first room struck me in its simplicity, I had expected to see imposing abstract paintings upon entering, instead there were a few small and unassuming landscapes. At first, I felt that it did not seem necessary to have included these pieces, however, moving through the exhibition I realised how essential these simple landscape paintings are in understanding the growth of these two artists’ practices. These landscapes, along with botanical drawings ground the abstract work in a sense of reality and provide context for af Klint and Mondrian’s artistic growth.

Room in the middle of the exhibition, paintings by Mondrian.

Before visiting this exhibition, I had never really explored Mondrian’s work; I was unaware of how much af Klint and Mondrian’s work possessed parallels. It is interesting, at first glance, to identify how the two artists express their own unique abstract visual language; where Mondrian moves away from any semblance of representation, it seems that af Klint attempts to capture the microscopic complexities of natural forms. I had always associated Mondrian’s work with the feeling of detached minimalism that the contemporary art world often possesses, however this exhibition really changed my view on him. The show exemplified the depth of his work and I was especially drawn to his vibrant and abstract landscapes, so different from his geometric paintings; they possessed a strong sense of the vitality of nature. What this exhibition did most was to acknowledge how a unique artistic practice is an arduous thing to establish, it does not simply appear, it is a gradual and lifelong process that leads the artist to their most canonical work.

Chalkboard Drawing, Rudolf Steiner, 1920’s.

There was a room in the centre of the exhibition called ‘The Ether’, it referred to the 19th Century belief that everything is connected by an invisible energy. The contents of this room provided a great deal of context to the work of both artists and helped the viewer to identify the concepts within the work. This room also identified how the artists were working as members of large networks of likeminded people who also wanted to understand the innerworkings of the world.

Page from the Red Book, Carl Jung 1914-1930.

Work in this room that I was particularly drawn to was Carl Jung’s Red Book which contained artwork created by Jung over a sixteen-year period, these images essentially depicted his dreams and inner subconscious. Another was Rudolph Steiner’s chalk drawings which were used to illustrate the concepts that he lectured about. This particular one with the spiral was his depiction of ‘winter and summer at the same time’ which he used to represent the sense of duality present within the human body.

Final room of the exhibition, paintings by Hilma af Klint.

I have loved Hilma Af Klint’s work for a few years now, but I had not yet seen it in person, so this was my main reason for paying a visit to this exhibition. Perhaps I am a bit biased but I felt that Af Klint’s work stole the show. Whilst Mondrian’s is visually striking and possesses so much depth, Af Klint’s seems to transcend this idea of art; to me, her work is like another language. Af Klint is known for her interest in spiritualism and her work was very much driven by her other-worldly encounters, however this exhibition showed how she was an incredibly intelligent person who had the ability to understand and artistically visualise incredibly advanced concepts. The final room featured her Ten Largest series which depict the four stages of life: childhood, youth, adulthood and old age, these paintings are so visually compelling, I cannot say I have ever seen anything quite like them. The show identified that her work is about truly understanding the depth of existence and how we as humans are present within a vast network of living things.