Anemone ranunculoides (Yellow Woodland Anemone), Ribes alpinum (Alpine Currant), Ribes uva-crispa (European Gooseberry), Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash), Populus tremula (European Aspen), Ribes nigrum (European Black Currant), Ribes rubrum (Red Currant). Sheet 5 from the portfolio Nature Studies

Anemone ranunculoides (Yellow Woodland Anemone), Ribes alpinum (Alpine Currant), Ribes uva-crispa (European Gooseberry), Fraxinus excelsior (European Ash), Populus tremula (European Aspen), Ribes nigrum (European Black Currant), Ribes rubrum (Red Currant). Sheet 5 from the portfolio Nature Studies by Hilma af Klint is a detailed observational drawing executed in 1919. This piece is one of 46 sheets composing the Nature Studies portfolio, created during a highly specific five-day period between May 16–21, 1919. The work employs watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper, demonstrating Klint’s rigorous commitment to scientific observation alongside her more famous pioneering abstract work.

While Hilma af Klint is internationally renowned as a pioneer of abstraction, the Nature Studies portfolio reveals the depth of her classical training and her profound connection to the natural world. This specific sheet meticulously documents seven distinct plant species, combining the delicate structure of the Anemone ranunculoides (Yellow Woodland Anemone) with various shrub forms like the Alpine Currant and European Gooseberry. Larger arboreal subjects, such as the European Ash and European Aspen, are also precisely rendered. These observational drawings, rooted deeply in the artist’s Swedish environment and cultural background, are crucial for understanding Klint’s methodology, which often translated empirical scientific findings into complex symbolic abstractions later in her career.

The drawing technique utilizes precise pencil outlines to capture structure, which Klint then enhances with subtle watercolor washes, particularly noticeable in the rendering of the leaves and fruits of the different varieties of Ribes. Created near the end of Klint’s long career, these detailed works affirm the importance of objective rendering in her overall artistic development. Although this piece is formally distinct from her spiritual compositions, it utilizes the same intense focus and compositional balance that characterizes her major abstract cycles. This important 1919 drawing, classified as a standard drawing, is preserved in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), ensuring that this foundational aspect of the Swedish artist’s technical mastery remains available for study.