Luzula campestris (Field Woodrush), Viola hirta (Hairy Violet), Viola odorata (Sweet Violet), Chrysosplenium alternifolium (Alternate-Leaf Golden Saxifrage), Equisetum arvense (Field Horsetail), Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold), Ranunculus ficaria (Fig Buttercup), Carex sp. (Sedge). Sheet 4 from the portfolio Nature Studies

Luzula campestris (Field Woodrush), Viola hirta (Hairy Violet), Viola odorata (Sweet Violet), Chrysosplenium alternifolium (Alternate-Leaf Golden Saxifrage), Equisetum arvense (Field Horsetail), Caltha palustris (Marsh Marigold), Ranunculus ficaria (Fig Buttercup), Carex sp. (Sedge). Sheet 4 from the portfolio Nature Studies is a meticulous drawing by the Swedish artist Hilma af Klint, executed in 1919. This detailed representation, created using watercolor, pencil, and ink on paper, constitutes the fourth sheet in a comprehensive portfolio of 46 drawings. The Nature Studies portfolio documents Klint’s dedication to direct, precise observation of the botanical world, contrasting sharply with the radical abstraction for which she is primarily known.

The work captures specific flora observed between May 9–15, 1919. Klint identifies a variety of early spring species, rendering them with the precision of a scientific illustrator. Featured subjects include the delicate Viola hirta (Hairy Violet) and Viola odorata (Sweet Violet), alongside the structural forms of Equisetum arvense (Field Horsetail) and the recognizable flower of the Marsh Marigold (Caltha palustris). The inclusion of the Fig Buttercup and Field Woodrush further anchors the drawing in a specific moment of spring, demonstrating Klint’s methodical approach to classifying and documenting the environment that informed her esoteric interests.

As a foundational Swedish modernist artist, Klint utilized these detailed representational works to bridge the gap between material reality and the abstract, spiritual concepts that underpinned her art practice. Classified as a drawing, this piece utilizes subtle watercolor washes layered over precise pencil and ink outlines, giving the forms both softness and definition. The careful execution of the Nature Studies series proves Klint’s continuous engagement with representational forms, even while she was shaping the trajectory of abstract art. This significant piece of preparatory work resides in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA).