This thesis describes and analyzes the symbolist artist Tyra Kleen’s life as a student and professional artist in late 1900th- and early 2000th-century, using biography as methodology, in combination with Pierre Bourdieu’s theories on Cultural Fields, and Feministic theory. A few of her Symbolistic art works will be analyzed using Ragnar Josephson’s theories on the Making of Art. The years in between 1892 – 1908 are in focus of the thesis, when the artist mainly lived, studied and worked abroad; in Germany, Paris and Rome.  Tyra Kleen (1874-1951) was born in Sweden, but lived for many years in Europe. She saw herself more as a European or a Cosmopolitan, than a Swedish person. She went to several art schools in Europe; in Dresden, Karlsruhe, Munich, Paris and Rome. She lived in Paris during the years of ”the fine de siècle”, and then moved to Rome where she lived and worked for almost ten years. During her years abroad, with influences from artists as Böcklin and Puvis de Chavannes, authors as Charles Boudelaire and Edgar Allan Poe, and from Theosophy, she picked up a continental Symbolistic style, that is unique, and is not to be found in any other Swedish artists’ styles. The thesis gives a new piece to the puzzle regarding Swedish late 1900th-early 2000th-century Art History.

This essay examines the art and artistry of Tyra Kleen in the years 1919-1921, when she was travelling and lived on the Indonesian islands Java and Bali. In this period of her life, she was dedicated to an artistic and culturally historical project in which she was drawing and painting Balinese ritual court and Temple dances, mudras, the empowered ritual hand poses of Buddha and Shiva priests, the Javanese theatre Wajang and the Javanese ritual court dance called Serimpi. 10 paintings with subjects deriving from these religious rites, traditions and cultural exercises are analyzed in relation to expression, content, and context with the ambition to convey knowledge about technique, proceeding, what the picture represents, and in what social cohesion these rites, dances and dramas are practiced. The paintings were often watercolor with accentuation of gouache and gold. The theoretical basis of the essay is postcolonial and genus theory. Oriental elements are depicted in her art by the forms inspired by art nouveau and the expressive choice of color. It was not only genus but also class that was important for her as a surveyor in another part of the world and in other religions. The androgyne ideal is related to the theosophic movement. Her artistry was anchored in a spiritual belief, involvement in the women´s issue and an interest in anarchism and class issues. Tyra Kleen was a well-travelled woman who was inspired from many other countries and cultures. Her education was European with a strong impact from the genres of fin-de-siecle. In her primary production there are traces from symbolism, art nouveau and spirituality. She shows another side of her artistry in her journey to Java and Bali, when she in a wealth of details paints the colorful and dynamic dances and the graceful movements of the hands and fingers. She had left the symbolic fantasy pictures and become exploring in her scientific project, even though you can see the forms from the art nouveau style and her interest of religion.