Hilma af Klint

The majestic swan symbolised the ‘grandeur of the spirit’ to Helena Blavatsky, founder of Theosophy, a spiritualist movement of great interest to Hilma af Klint; in alchemy, the swan represents the union of opposites necessary for the creation of the philosopher’s stone, a substance believed to turn base metals into gold.

In this series, af Klint blends such established symbolism with her own idiosyncratic interpretations. The first painting portrays two swans – one black (male, with yellow beak), the other white (female, with blue face and feet). This stark palette underscores the dualities of light and dark, male and female, life and death.

As the series progresses the colour range expands, and the swans are replaced with geometric forms suggestive of higher dimensions, including a vibrating colour wheel, concentric circles of cubic forms, and mandala-like designs. The final painting shows the birds intertwined, their beaks joined by a hook and eye, a symbol of sexual union within af Klint’s lexicon.