The Swan, No. 17, Group IX/SUW

The Swan, No. 17, Group IX/SUW is part of a group of 24 oil canvases created between 1914 and 1915 by Hilma af Klint. More geometric in style than the Ten Largest group, The Swan paintings employ symmetry and balance throughout the series, often displaying a single form repeated or mirrored in abstract ways across the canvas. 

No. 17’s central circle suggests a duality that appears in much of af Klint’s work: light vs. dark, whole vs. part, grayscale vs. bright colors. While at first glance the composition of No. 17 appears to depart from some of af Klint’s other more biomorphic, organic style pieces, common underlying themes of spiritualism, symbolism, and color coding are woven throughout her entire body of work.