Symbolist artists drew inspiration from a variety of sources, including literature, mythology, and religion, to create works that were rich in meaning and open to interpretation. In this article, we will delve into the history, characteristics, and key figures of the Symbolism art movement.
Symbolism Art: Beyond Reality
Symbolism was an influential art movement originating in late 19th century France that emphasized the expression of ideas through symbolism. Reacting against realism and literal representation, symbolists sought to depict not physical reality but rather psychological truths, ideals, and subjective emotions. Symbolic figures, motifs, metaphors, and allegories conveyed private meanings and offered more subtlety than direct portrayal. Symbolism first arose in poetry before spreading to visual arts. Major symbolist painters included Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, and Edvard Munch. Their visually evocative works deeply impacted cultural movements across literature, music, and design.
Henri Fantin-Latour, By the Table, 1872, depicting: Paul Verlaine, Arthur Rimbaud, Léon Valade, Ernest d'Hervilly and Camille Pelletan (seated); Pierre Elzéar, Emile Blémont, and Jean Aicard (standing)
Symbolism Art Movement Key Elements
Instead of precise realism, symbolist works feature dreamy compositions using mythic allusions, esoteric metaphors, and subjective color palettes to evoke personal emotions and ideas. Recurring motifs like birds, mirrors, moons, masks, and flowers offer poetic symbols open to interpretation. Figures blend into environments through soft brushwork that obscures outlines and form. Sources like religion, fantasy, nostalgia, and obscurantism inspire cryptic, dreamlike imagery conveying the artist’s inner psychological state. These elements create zones for reverie untethered to reality’s confines.
To sum up, we can stress the key elements of Symbolism in art:
Emphasis on the subjective and emotional experience of the artist;
Use of symbols and metaphors to convey meaning and evoke emotions;
Exploration of themes such as death, spirituality, and the subconscious;
Rejection of realistic representation in favor of stylized and abstract forms;
Influence from literature, music, and other art forms;
Interest in mythology, folklore, and the occult;
Use of dreamlike and fantastical imagery;
Exploration of the relationship between the human experience and the natural world;
Emphasis on the decorative and ornamental aspects of art;
Rejection of traditional artistic norms and values in favor of personal expression and experimentation.
Victor Vasnetsov, The Knight at the Crossroads, 1878
Famous Symbolism Artists
Symbolism art emerged in the late 19th century as a reaction against the realism and naturalism of the time. This movement sought to express the inner world of the artist, their emotions, dreams, and fantasies, through the use of symbols and metaphors. Some of the most famous Symbolism artists include:
Gustav Klimt: An Austrian painter known for his decorative and erotic works, such as "The Kiss" and "Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I."
Edvard Munch: A Norwegian painter whose works often explored themes of anxiety, loneliness, and death, such as "The Scream" and "Madonna."
Odilon Redon: A French painter and printmaker known for his dreamlike and fantastical works, such as "The Eye Like a Strange Balloon Mounts Toward Infinity" and "The Cyclops."
Gustave Moreau: A French painter whose works were often inspired by mythology and religion, such as "Jupiter and Semele" and "Salome Dancing before Herod."
James Ensor: A Belgian painter known for his grotesque and surreal works, such as "Christ's Entry into Brussels in 1889" and "The Intrigue."
Other notable Symbolism artists include Fernand Khnopff, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, and Alphonse Mucha. These artists used a variety of mediums, including painting, printmaking, and sculpture, to create works that were often mysterious, haunting, and deeply personal.
Salammbô (1907) by Gaston Bussière
Symbolism Art Examples
Besides visual arts, symbolism also emerged strongly in literature, theater, and music. Writers like Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Paul Verlaine evoked ideas through layered metaphors and rhythmic language. Composer Claude Debussy translated symbolist poetry into evocative impressions in compositions. Playwrights Maurice Maeterlinck and August Strindberg used mythic templates and existential themes. Symbolism influenced art nouveau design through curved botanical motifs and patterns. Symbolism’s shared enterprise cross-pollinated different media and movements.
Symbolism in Art: Symbolic Structures
Many symbolists incorporated geometric designs and mathematical ratios for symbolic resonance. Structures like the Golden Section and spirals linked their work to cosmic order and platonic ideals. Patterns, grids, and tessellation created uniform motifs charged with symbolist meaning. Ornamental curves and arches suggested mystical elegance and dream states. Sacred geometry grounded esoteric interests in mathematics’ philosophical dimensions. Architects like Victor Horta adapted symbolism’s organic forms to buildings. Symbolic structures substantiated symbolism’s higher significance.
The floor of the Hôtel Tassel, with the characteristic curling vegetal design
Symbolism Art Style Impact and Legacy
Symbolism pioneered modern art’s shift to imaginative interiority over exterior observation. Its heir Surrealism further plumbed dream symbolism and the unconscious. Abstract styles abandoned reality using pure color and form as symbols. Symbolism’s synesthetic blending of the senses and search for deeper truths beyond material appearances still resonates. Contemporary artists continue using symbols and metaphors to convey personal vision and global concepts. Symbolism's showcasing of art's ability to express subjective realities through poetic symbols and universals left an enduring artistic legacy.
In summation, symbolism expanded artistic aims to capture ephemeral psychological states, ideas, and emotions through symbolic visual languages. Its legacy persists in art seeking to articulate profound truths through symbolic representations that resonate intuitively with our inner selves. Symbolism endures as a touchstone for art as personal revelation.
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