Childhood n.º 1

Context: the work that opens the series of monumental 1907 canvases on the stages of human life known as The Ten Largest. Against a deep blue ground — a colour Hilma ties to the spiritual world — white six-petalled flowers float in a garland running across the upper edge, a symbol of the highest purity.

Interpretation: we turn our full attention to the flowers, altering their chromatic nature. Where the artist sets down white, a blood red now surfaces, deep and impassioned. A deliberate decision, one that allows us to take in the quietest symbol of the series and root it in its earthly dimension.

Technique: we designed each petal to follow the fluidity of the forms in the painting, drawing them together into a golden centre with fine veining that echoes the flower's real pistil. A mute symbol turned into an outburst of vitality.

Source: The Ten Largest, n.º 1, Childhood, Group IV, 1907.