Author Interview: Julia Voss and "Hilma af Klint, a Biography"

ArtCurious Podcast

ArtCurious

Arts, History, Visual Arts

4.8 • 847 Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2023

⏱️ 41 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

I’ve got a great interview for you today— this time, I’m featuring a conversation with Julia Voss on her fascinating book, Hilma af Klint, a Biography, which was released recently in its English translation. The Swedish painter Hilma af Klint (1862–1944) was forty-four years old when she broke with the academic tradition in which she had been trained to produce a body of radical, abstract works the likes of which had never been seen before. Today, it is widely accepted that af Klint was one of the earliest abstract academic painters in Europe. But this is only part of her story. Not only was she a working female artist, she was also an avowed clairvoyant and mystic. Like many of the artists at the turn of the twentieth century who developed some version of abstract painting, af Klint studied Theosophy, which holds that science, art, and religion are all reflections of an underlying life-form that can be harnessed through meditation, study, and experimentation. Well before Kandinsky, Mondrian, and Malevich declared themselves the inventors of abstraction, af Klint was working in a nonrepresentational mode, producing a powerful visual language that continues to speak to audiences today. The exhibition of her work in 2018 at the Guggenheim Museum in New York City attracted more than 600,000 visitors, making it the most-attended show in the history of the institution. Despite her enormous popularity, there has not yet been a biography of af Klint—until now. Please enjoy this bonus episode, featuring my discussion with Julia Voss. Buy Hilma af Klint, a Biography here! Please SUBSCRIBE and REVIEW our show on Apple Podcasts and FOLLOW on Spotify Instagram / Facebook / YouTube SPONSORS: Lomi: Enjoy $50 off a Lomi Composter by visiting our link and using promo code ARTCURIOUS Lume Deodorant: Control Body Odor ANYWHERE with @lumedeodorant and get over 40% off your starter pack with promo code ARTCURIOUS at lumedeodorant.com/ARTCURIOUS! #lumepod Want to advertise/sponsor our show? We have partnered with AdvertiseCast to handle our advertising/sponsorship requests. They’re great to work with and will help you advertise on our show. Please email [email protected] or click the link below to get started. https://www.advertisecast.com/ArtCuriousPodcast Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	It's the most wonderful time.
0:04.0	Are you a smart booker or a silly booker?
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0:20.0	Conditions apply. Seven night minimum stay, outbound only from selected airports from the stop booking around and visit on the beach.com.
0:22.2	Conditions apply.
0:24.7	Seven night minimum stay, outbound only from selected airports,
0:26.3	for up to six people, at all protected.
0:29.7	On the beach.
0:36.4	I've got a great interview for you again today, Art Curious listeners.
0:38.6	This time I'm featuring a conversation with Julia Voss on her wonderful book, Hilma Off-Clint, a biography, which was released recently
0:45.2	in its English translation. The Swedish painter Hilma Off-Clint was 44 years old when she broke
0:51.9	with the academic tradition in which she had been trained to produce a body
0:56.2	of radical abstract works, the likes of which had never been seen before. Today, it is widely
1:02.6	accepted that Offclint was one of the earliest abstract academic painters in Europe. But this is only
1:09.2	part of her story. Not only was she a working female artist,
1:13.3	she was also an avowed, clairvoyant, and mystic. Like many of the artists at the turn of the
1:18.5	20th century who developed some version of abstract painting, off Clint studied theosophy,
1:24.4	which holds that science, art, and religion are all reflections of an underlying
1:28.8	life form that can be harnessed through meditation, study, and experimentation.
1:34.3	Well before Kandinsky, Mondrian and Malayevich declared themselves the inventors of abstraction,
	...

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