Watch Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint

Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint is a documentary film released in 2019. It tells the story of Hilma af Klint, an artist who was largely unknown during her lifetime but is now considered a pioneering figure in abstract art. The film is directed by Halina Dyrschka and features interviews with art historians, curators, and contemporary artists who have been inspired by af Klint's work.

The film begins by introducing af Klint and her life in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Sweden in 1862, af Klint studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Stockholm and eventually began working as a painter alongside four other women known as "The Five". Despite her talent, af Klint struggled to gain recognition in the artistic community and eventually took her work in a different direction, focusing on spiritualism and mysticism.

It is af Klint's spiritual and mystical beliefs that form the heart of Beyond the Visible. The film explores af Klint's correspondence with a spiritual leader named Rudolf Steiner, who encouraged her to pursue a deeper understanding of the universe and its hidden forces. Eventually, af Klint began to create large-scale works that were meant to be viewed in a specific order, and which she believed represented a mystical pathway to enlightenment.

The film features extensive footage of af Klint's artwork, which is often colorful and bold, with intricate geometric patterns and shapes. Her work is quite different from the more familiar abstract art of artists like Wassily Kandinsky, who is often credited with being the first abstract artist. However, as the film shows, af Klint's work predated Kandinsky's by several years, although it was not widely known or recognized at the time.

Throughout the film, various art experts and scholars discuss af Klint's work and its significance. Some compare her work to that of other artists in the spiritualist movement, such as the French medium Helene Smith. Others highlight the ways in which af Klint's art anticipated later movements in abstract art, such as minimalism and conceptual art.

One of the most interesting aspects of Beyond the Visible is the way in which the film highlights the challenges af Klint faced as a woman working in the male-dominated art world of her time. Despite her talent and ambition, af Klint struggled to gain recognition for her work, and she often had to rely on the support of her family and friends to continue painting. In one of the film's most powerful moments, we hear an audio recording of af Klint's voice from the 1930s, in which she expresses frustration and disappointment with the art world's lack of interest in her work.

Overall, Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint is a fascinating and engaging documentary that sheds light on an artist who was largely overlooked in her lifetime but who now stands as one of the most innovative and groundbreaking abstract artists of the early 20th century. Through interviews, archival footage, and extensive examples of af Klint's work, the film offers a comprehensive and inspiring portrait of a remarkable artist and her contributions to the art world.

Beyond the Visible: Hilma af Klint is a 2020 documentary with a runtime of 1 hour and 34 minutes. It has received mostly positive reviews from critics and viewers, who have given it an IMDb score of 7.4 and a MetaScore of 78.