During the time of creating my latest series of work I went to see the exhibition of Hilma Klint and Piet Mondrian at Tate Modern. Both painters went through dramatic transitions throughout their careers in painting, beginning with very typical styles such as landscapes and still lives to completely unique and individual conceptual practices heavily related to the blooming culture of spirituality occurring during their lives.
One of the information texts in the exhibition stated, “The late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries marked a significant shift in concepts of spirituality as a reaction against materialism.” Scientific theories established by prominent thinkers such as Charles Darwin and Albert Einstein denounced the conception of the Universe being created by a singular creator and suggesting the existence of a world beyond our perception.
One of the main principles of alchemy is the existence of an inner world that gives life to all that exists. Perhaps this is why Klint’s work had such parallels to the aesthetic of alchemical artwork.
A quote from Mondrian states that, “All religions have the same fundamental content, they differ only in form. The form is the external manifestation of this content and is thus an indispensable vehicle for the expression of primary principles.” This relates to alchemy in the sense that although it had no grounding to any fundamental truths it was still universal in that it expressed the human urge to build a framework by which to understand and harness the capabilities of nature.
What Mondrian and Klint expressed in their styles is a close expression of the archetypal principle of art as a way of making the, ‘true beauty of nature visual, tangible, and above all, perceptible.’
Overall, I found this exhibition to be extremely interesting. It highlighted a dramatic shift in the way art was perceived and utilised. Mondrian and Klint decided to use it as a means of expressing their spiritual ideas and understandings of the way the Universe worked, moving against the traditional rudiments that art had been bound to for so long.
It is in this sense that their work still maintains a sense of modernity as they were so far ahead of their time that the full depth of their vision is only being fully grasped now. This exhibition taught me to not be afraid to work outside of what is considered acceptable and make work that is true to myself and my ideals.
Tom Allwinton Art 