Beyond The Visible pulls around the typical corners of a biographical documentary. We learn about Klint’s family and childhood, her love for botany and geography from a young age, her admittance into the Swedish Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and far more interesting tidbits. Such as the fact that she was a firm believer in the Spiritualist movement, which was quite en vogue at the time in Europe, and attended numerous seances.
She later became a proponent and acolyte of Theosophy, a spiritualist sect that was started by the rather controversial Victorian-era figure, Helena Blavatsky. She believed her paintings were the product of divine or cosmic intervention and not a product of her thoughts.
“The real bread and butter of Beyond The Visible, though, is af Klint’s artwork.”
The real bread and butter of Beyond The Visible, though, is af Klint’s artwork. We see how she moved from naturalistic painting into the abstract, her work often influenced by science. Her paintings had such titles as “The Theory of Relativity,” “X-ray,” “Radioactivity,” and so on. Then there are some paintings that defy explanation and just inspire awe with their size, scope, and imagination.
Additionally, the film tries to push the point of how women artists often get overshadowed by men. It clearly lays out that Hilma af Klint is but one example of the thousands of little known female artists, both past and present, living and dead, who never received their full due. If you are a lover of art, especially abstract art, you must see Beyond The Visible – Hilma af Klint. You’ll be blown away by af Klint’s genius and how ahead of her time she really was.
"…some paintings that defy explanation and just inspire awe with their size, scope, and imagination."
