Campanula persicifolia (Peach-Leaved Bellflower), Orchis maculata (Heath Spotted-Orchid), Platanthera bifolia (Lesser Butterfly-Orchid). Sheet 17 from the portfolio Nature Studies is a precise botanical observation created by the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint in 1919. This remarkable drawing was executed in watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper, demonstrating Klint’s classical training and rigorous methodology in documenting natural forms.
The drawing is one element from the comprehensive Nature Studies portfolio, a collection of forty-six observational sheets that provides crucial insight into the empirical foundation underlying Klint’s later abstract explorations. This particular sheet is meticulously dated to July 4–5, 1919, highlighting the artist’s commitment to recording the exact moment of her study. Klint renders three distinct plant species with scientific accuracy: the Peach-Leaved Bellflower, the Heath Spotted-Orchid, and the Lesser Butterfly-Orchid, utilizing fine lines of pencil and ink to define structure, while applying subtle washes of watercolor to convey color and texture.
Though Hilma af Klint is renowned globally as a pioneer of abstract art, works like this reinforce her deep and ongoing engagement with the physical world. The piece serves as a connection point between the detailed observation required of natural history and the structured, almost schematic arrangements present in her spiritualistic compositions. The classification as a drawing emphasizes the work's delicate execution and its function as an objective record.
This historically significant piece is now part of the permanent collection at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). The inclusion of Klint's botanical studies alongside her abstract pieces helps contextualize her vast and varied creative output. As interest in Klint continues to grow, high-quality prints of significant drawings like Campanula persicifolia... Sheet 17 are increasingly accessible, allowing the public to appreciate the meticulous observational practice that informed the groundbreaking abstract vision of this influential Swedish artist.
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