"Group IX/SUW, The Swan, No. 6," Hilma af Klint, 1915.

I've written about Hilma af Klint (1862-1944) before, so I'll just say that her work was a reflection of her own unique, eccentric spiritual beliefs, but that now she's regarded as the first Abstract artist, beating all those other male artists to the punch.

This is an intriguing painting...the positioning of the swans and their background is reminiscent of the well-known ying/yang symbol, but I'm also curious about the blood on their wings and the pink burst behind them. Oh well, as with anything by her, it's fascinating and enigmatic.

From the Hilma af Klint Foundation, Stockholm.

#Art #WomenArists #Abstract #HilmaAfKlint #VisionaryArt

"Self-Portrait," Jeanne Hébuterne, c. 1917.

Hébuterne (1898-1920) is best remembered today as Amadeo Modigliani's common-law wife and muse, but she was a talented artist in her own right.

An art student in Paris, she met Modigliani in 1917, when she was 19, and the two fell deeply in love. She moved in with him, much to her parents' dismay, and was featured in much of his art. The two had a daughter in 1918.

Sadly, their time together was brief; Modigliani died in 1920, and she took her own life a few days later.

In the year 2000, she finally was featured in an exhibition of Modigliani's work, and she began to be noticed as an artist in her own right. Sad to say, there was a scandal when it turned out that some of the art being displayed by hers was forged; the perpetrator was caught and served time.

From a private collection.

#Art #Expressionism #JeanneHebuterne #WomenArists #WomenInArts #Selfportrait