Between 1906 and 1915, Swedish artist Hilma af Klint created 193 abstract works titled The Paintings for the Temple. More than half of these paintings were completed by 1908, several years before artist Wassily Kandinsky claimed to have painted the world’s first abstract picture. During af Klint’s lifetime, however, her abstract paintings were largely unseen, and she primarily worked on commission making portraits, landscapes, and book illustrations. Considered a Spiritualist and medium, her paintings explore duality, evolution, and oneness, employing a visual language that cannot be understood by intellect alone. According to af Klint, “The pictures were painted directly through me, without any preliminary drawings, and with great force,” with the intent to lead viewers through different levels of consciousness.

–Lindsay Karson, from the Glenstone Field Guide