Fragments of Hilma af Klint: Inspiration at the Grand Palais

The Paris Vignettes series features the inspired work of street photographer William “Bill” O’Such in themed installments

Inspired by experimenting with close-up details from a Matisse exhibit in a previous vignette, I decided to apply that same fragmented lens when a good friend invited me to the Hilma af Klint retrospective at the Grand Palais. After the works of the artist’s early, more traditional years left me going “hmmm,” the energy shifted dramatically in the main gallery space, the sheer scale and vibrancy of her monumental works immediately draw you in (The Exhibition).

There, it quickly became clear how this Swedish artist pioneered abstract painting well before the likes of Mondrian or Kandinsky. Her canvases are steeped in deep mysticism and symbolic language. One fascinating thread is her frequent use of the letters ‘U’ and ‘W’—’U’ representing women, femininity, and the spiritual realm, while ‘W’ signifies men, masculinity, and the physical world. You can see these dualities woven throughout her compositions, from cryptic letters radiating out of a vibrant core (WU Radiance), to diamond-framed text (Diamond Letters), and delicate, looping white script floating among yellow arches and tiny spirals (Swirling Script). This visual language seamlessly blends with nature, appearing in spiraling botanical forms where ‘W’s rest inside soft petals (Spiraling Ws), or alongside abstract, almost vascular plant life with twisting red vines and dark, scalloped seed pods (Red Botanical Loops).

This sense of duality takes many forms, sometimes illustrating direct, energetic conversations between the physical and the ethereal (Spiritual Dialogue), or isolating a delicate human silhouette perfectly suspended within a golden ring (Suspended Figure). She also took the well-known color wheel and reimagined it in endlessly inventive ways — slicing it into distinct triangular segments (Triangular Spectrum), mapping it across intersecting spheres (Geometric Spheres), or softening it into organic, overlapping circles that feel almost like a blossom (Floral Color Wheel).

Even in her more celestial, starry creations that evoke a cosmic yin and yang (Cosmic Balance), you can see how her internal life changes were echoed in the fundamental geometry and palette of each piece. By isolating these specific fragments, I hope you enjoy a unique, intimate view of her truly compelling art.