"The life and work of Wilhelmina Barns-Graham — a figure arguably underestimated by the artistic establishment — gets its due in Mark Cousins' stirring, singular Karlovy Vary winner." Variety

Narrated by Tilda Swinton, A Sudden Glimpse to Deeper Things offers a profound cinematic journey into the life of visionary painter Wilhelmina Barns-Graham, directed by Mark Cousins.

One day in 1949, a young Scottish painter climbed a Swiss glacier. The experience rewired her brain, and transformed her art. Barns-Graham was synaesthetic – associating letters, names and people with particular colours. In this documentary, Cousins explores how her neurodivergence and encounter with the glacier shaped her vision of the world.

Born and raised in St Andrews, Barns-Graham was a member of the St Ives group of modernist artists, who lived in the Cornish seaside town from the Second World War onwards. The glacier paintings inspired by her experience in Switzerland were the breakthrough in her artistic career.

Through a cinematic immersion into her art and life, Cousins's film explores themes of gender, neurodivergence, climate change, and the nature of creativity from youth to old age.

One of Barns-Graham's artworks, Winter Landscape (1952), will be exhibited at Arnolfini as part of their winter 'Here Today, Here Tomorrow – Works from Jerwood Collection' exhibition, running from 23 Nov 2024 to 2 Feb 2025. Find out more here.

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