How did spiritualism shape modern art?

Spiritualism profoundly influenced modern art by shifting artistic consciousness and shaping what became modernism and contemporary art. The movement inspired mediumistic paintings as well as the pioneering abstract works of major artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, and Hilma af Klint. By moving away from the strict reproduction of visible reality, these artists used spiritual ideas to forge entirely new visual languages.

What we know

• Spiritualism had a massive impact on artistic consciousness, shaping the development of modernism and art today. [2]
• Spiritualism inspired the pioneering abstract art of artists including František Kupka, Piet Mondrian, Vasily Kandinsky, and Kasimir Malevich. [2]
• Famous spiritual artists associated with spirit art or mediumistic art include Georgiana Houghton, Hilma af Klint, Augustin Lesage, and Fleury Joseph Crépin. [2]
• By the end of the 19th century, many artists felt a need to create a new kind of art that would encompass fundamental changes taking place in technology, science, and philosophy, drawing from diverse theoretical arguments. [4]

Where to go next

• a case in pointWho were the key pioneers of abstract art?
• whoHow did Wassily Kandinsky develop abstraction?
• the bigger pictureWhat is the historical background of spiritualism?
• compared withHow does abstract art differ from realistic representation?
• how it workedWhat role did mediumistic paintings play in early abstraction?
• an unexpected connectionHow did spiritualism connect to the rise of abstract art?Spiritual beliefs about an unseen spirit world provided the theoretical and conceptual push that encouraged painters to abandon visible reality and invent totally abstract art.

Sources

• [1]Spiritualist art (Wikidata Q10355291) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Spiritualist art · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Spiritualism (movement) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Abstract art · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Wassily Kandinsky · CC BY-SA 4.0