Chaos, Nr. 2 1906

Curator: Welcome. We're looking at Hilma af Klint's "Chaos, Nr. 2," an oil painting from 1906. What's your first reaction? Editor: Immediate feeling? Unease. It feels turbulent, like I'm staring into some primordial soup. The colors are muted, and yet there are these flashes of brightness trying to emerge. Curator: That sense of something emerging is key. Af Klint was deeply involved in spiritualism. Works like these were created during séances, believed to be direct communications with higher beings. It’s fascinating to consider the performative, even theatrical, aspects of artistic production in these circles. Editor: That context makes me see this differently. Looking at the application of oil paint – thick in some areas, almost translucent in others - I wonder about her process. Was she working quickly, guided by something external, or was there more conscious manipulation of the material? How much of her body was present? Curator: Her practice challenges conventional art historical narratives. The spiritualist movement was largely dismissed, seen as irrational, even hysterical, which deeply impacted how her art and career were viewed for decades. Af Klint specifically stipulated that these works not be shown until twenty years after her death, which speaks to the challenges of reception in her own time. Editor: Interesting. It really makes me consider how materials like paint—a rather banal substance—could be transformed into vehicles for perceived spiritual communication. How did that belief influence the handling, the application? What did it mean for something handmade to act as a conduit? Curator: Exactly. The reception and perception of this “Chaos” has been recontextualized now with a better grasp on abstract expressionism, in her time, spiritualist roots and the very act of channeling imagery raises vital questions about the agency and authorship. Editor: It certainly pushes me to question the line between the artist, the material, and some unseen force… a fascinating intersection! I'm left wondering if understanding the intention shifts our understanding of the artwork as a material object. Curator: Indeed. Her journey asks us to reflect upon the complex forces, both earthly and beyond, shaping art’s trajectory in the world.