In these uncertain times, I’ve found a lot of solace in The Dove, No 2, by Hilma af Klint. Before we closed, I used to come to the galleries each morning before visitors arrived and stand in front of this painting, in a meditative ritual of sorts. Now I am comforted by this painting not only because of its symmetry and its beauty, but also because, along with much of the rest of af Klint’s body of work, it was created in solitude. Just knowing that a work of art as magical and transformative as this one was made in isolation reassures me that beauty can occur even in the most difficult times.

Submitted by Sarah Isenberg, Intern, Department of Communications and Public Affairs