Crataegus laevigata (Smooth Hawthorn). Sheet 43 from the portfolio Nature Studies is a meticulous drawing executed by the pioneering Swedish artist Hilma af Klint in 1920. This work is one of 46 detailed sheets that comprise the Nature Studies portfolio, a crucial body of work that demonstrates Klint’s dedication to observational drawing alongside her radical abstract projects. The piece utilizes a combination of watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper, blending precise botanical observation with an ethereal, almost illuminated quality.
Dated specifically to June 11, 1920, this study reflects Klint’s lifelong interest in botany and scientific investigation, processes which deeply informed her subsequent spiritual and esoteric inquiries. Although Hilma af Klint is renowned for her large-scale abstract series, she consistently returned to the detailed rendering of natural forms throughout her career. Unlike her purely non-objective works, this drawing provides a direct study of the Smooth Hawthorn plant. Klint renders the subject using soft washes of delicate watercolor overlaid with fine pencil and ink lines that define the structure of the stem, leaves, and incipient flowers. This disciplined observational approach grounds the artist’s transcendental research in the tangible world, establishing a technical foundation unique to the trajectory of Swedish modernism during the early 20th century.
The Nature Studies portfolio showcases Klint’s versatility and technical skill as a draftsman. Klint’s extensive body of work, largely unseen during her lifetime, has become central to the historical revision of early abstract art. This particular drawing, Crataegus laevigata, resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), recognizing its importance in understanding the full scope of Klint’s oeuvre. As more of the artist’s detailed studies become available through exhibition and reference, high-quality prints and public domain images are increasingly used to allow widespread study of this significant artistic legacy.
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