Motacilla alba (White Wagtail), Juniperus communis (Common Juniper), Pinus sylvestris (Scots Pine), Somatochlora sp. (Striped Emeralds). Sheet 10 from the portfolio Nature Studies is a detailed drawing created by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint in 1919. This complex composition utilizes a rich array of media, including watercolor, pencil, ink, gouache, and metallic paint on paper. The work is one of 46 meticulous studies compiled within the artist’s Nature Studies portfolio, which Klint executed over a concentrated period between April 29 and June 5, 1919.
The piece demonstrates Klint’s profound engagement with the natural world, cataloging disparate botanical and zoological forms with remarkable precision. Visually, the sheet combines scientific observation-style renderings of the White Wagtail (Motacilla alba), Scots Pine (Pinus sylvestris), and Common Juniper (Juniperus communis), placed alongside the delicate insect forms of the Striped Emeralds (Somatochlora sp.). Unlike her monumental abstract paintings, these preparatory drawings reveal the underlying observational practice that anchored the Swedish artist's revolutionary visual language. This specific series, executed in the spring of 1919, served as a vital analytical body of work, bridging accurate natural observation and Klint’s subsequent symbolic interpretations.
Classified as a drawing, this sheet showcases the high level of detail and controlled technique Klint employed even in smaller format works. The sophisticated layering of watercolor and shimmering metallic paint subtly distinguishes this sheet within the overall portfolio. This important early modern drawing, which provides essential context to Klint’s practice, is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), New York. Klint's prolific and deeply spiritual output continues to generate critical interest, securing her place among the pioneers of abstraction.
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