Naturrikena (The Natural Kingdoms). Sheet 29 from the portfolio Nature Studies is a detailed drawing created by Hilma af Klint in 1920. Executed meticulously in pencil and ink on paper, this piece belongs to a systematic portfolio of 46 drawings intended to visualize complex spiritual and natural relationships. As a significant document of early 20th-century abstract art, the drawing exemplifies Klint's dedication to mapping unseen, metaphysical structures using precise geometric and symbolic language. The drawing is precisely dated April 12, 1920, placing it late in the Swedish artist's career, following her major series like Paintings for the Temple.
Klint’s creative process frequently involved rigorous documentation, organizing her investigations into categorized series that reflected her decades-long research into theosophy and anthroposophy. Unlike the expansive, large-scale oil canvases associated with her monumental earlier work, this sheet, along with the other drawings in the Nature Studies portfolio, demonstrates the artist's commitment to intellectual rigor in a smaller format. The careful use of ink and pencil highlights the precision essential to Klint's methodology, serving as diagrams for her inquiries into universal concepts like evolution, duality, and the interplay between natural phenomena and higher consciousness.
The title, Naturrikena (The Natural Kingdoms), suggests a focus on hierarchical classification, a common approach in the esoteric sciences Klint studied. The work reflects the artist's unique contribution to European modernism. Though Klint's revolutionary abstract work was largely overlooked during her lifetime, its intellectual depth is now internationally recognized. This drawing, Naturrikena (The Natural Kingdoms), is housed in the collection of the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA), where its preservation ensures that the systematic nature of the Swedish artist’s revolutionary production remains accessible for scholarly study. High-quality prints derived from the original works often circulate, promoting further research into this pivotal drawing and Klint’s overall achievement.
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