Symbolism painting was a late 19th century art movement. These artists prioritized ideas and concepts rather than representing the natural world. It is a fascinating genre that resists simple categorization and even national boundaries. Discover more about Symbolism art and its most famous oil paintings. From Paul Gauguin to Fernand Khnopff and Edvard Munch, here’s your essential introduction to Symbolism.

When did the Symbolism Art Movement start?

The French literary critic Jean Moreas coined the phrase “Symbolism” in 1886. He initially used it to describe the poetry of Paul Verlaine and Stephane Mallarme. In his “Symbolist Manifesto,” published in Le Figaro, Moreas attacked naturalist tendencies in literature. Instead, he urged artists and writers to abandon copying nature. Instead, he argued they should focus on evoking feelings and suggesting deeper truths. Despite this literary focus, scholars quickly used the term to refer to contemporary painting. As such, Symbolism took off in the early 1890s.

The 19th century saw an explosion of avant-garde artistic movements. Groups such as the Impressionists, Realists, and Post-Impressionists all championed novel approaches to art. Moreover, they all rejected earlier orthodox views of art in one way or another. Nonetheless, these movements still prioritized realistic depictions of the world around them. The Symbolist painters dismissed this focus on the real world. Instead, they favored oil paintings exploring imaginary dream worlds, mysterious figures, fantasy paintings, and mythological scenes.

The new science of Psychoanalysis, which appeared with Sigmund Freud’s 1900 Interpretation of Dreams, also invigorated this art movement. In line with Freud’s theories, discussions of inner turmoil, repressed eroticism, and mysticism were typical themes.

What is the definition of Symbolism Art?

The Symbolism art movement is hard to define. Even so, Symbolist paintings always focus on subjects or ideas, using creative devices, or objects, to create underlying meaning. Symbolism is the idea that certain things can stand for, or symbolize, other things. For example, red often symbolizes emotions like passion, love, or anger. On the other hand, skulls might represent broader concerns about death and the passing of time. An audience doesn't have to understand or recognize these symbols for them to count as “Symbolism.” Indeed, many artists created an intensely personal artistic language. In this way, fruit might stand for abundance and life to one artist, but it might signify temptation or decay to another.

In Symbolism painting, artists do not try to describe the world precisely or realistically. Instead, they focused on personal metaphors and feelings. Indeed, as Stephane Mallarme once wrote, Symbolists didn’t paint “the thing” but rather “the effect it produces.” This focus was partly a reaction against the age of the Industrial Revolution. It links with other movements, such as Romanticism, exploring dreams, visions, and the artist’s inner world.

Who are Symbolist Artists?

Symbolism art rapidly gained popularity across late 19th century Europe. The art movement inspired French painters such as Odilon Redon, Gustave Moreau, and Paul Gauguin. In Belgium, Fernand Khnopff and Jean Delville were notable Symbolist artists. Symbolism also took off in the Netherlands, where Jan Toorop and Vincent van Gogh worked with the style. The Norwegian painter Edvard Munch is one of the most famous Symbolists. Indeed, Edvard Munch The Scream 1893 is now one of the most celebrated images in European art.

The Symbolist approach even traveled to Britain, inspiring many Pre-Raphaelite artists. Painters such as Dante Gabriel Rosetti and Edward Burne-Jones particularly embraced the genre.

What are the characteristics of Symbolism in Art?

Symbolism painting never had one consistent artistic style. Instead, artists believed in their abilities to communicate mystic or visionary truths. The only common characteristic was how their paintings expressed realities beyond superficial appearances. As such, Symbolist painting often featured intense emotions, representing feelings such as love, anguish, and fear. Death, unrequired desire, and sexual awakening also inspired many Symbolist artworks.

To give just one example, The Vampire Edvard Munch, also known as Love and Pain, is a classic example of these themes. It is a profoundly troubling composition that obsessed Munch for several years. Indeed, the artist produced six different versions of the same painting, where a woman bites or kisses her partner’s neck. The female’s molten-red hair could symbolize danger. Equally, the man’s dark and hunched form could represent submission to darker forces in the world. While Art Historians still argue about the meaning, Munch said it was just a “woman kissing a man on the neck.”

Four Symbolism Artwork Examples

Here are four examples of famous Symbolism paintings:

1. Vincent van Gogh, Starry Night 1889

Although Art Historians class Vincent van Gogh as a Post-Impressionist painter, artworks such as Starry Night have deep symbolic meaning. Van Gogh Starry Night painting is one of the most recognizable images in art. Created while recovering at the Saint-Remy-de-Provence asylum, the stylized scene supplies insights into Van Gogh’s inner state. Indeed, many features (for instance, the village) are entirely imaginary.

2. Paul Gauguin, The Yellow Christ 1889

The poet and art critic Albert Aurier described Paul Gauguin as a leading figure of Symbolism painting. Indeed, Aurier particularly admired Gauguin’s representation of sensations and emotions through his stripped-back line, form, and color. Among Paul Gauguin paintings, The Yellow Christ is highly symbolic. It shows the crucifixion of Christ taking place in modern France. With a group of Breton women watching, Gauguin reserves dark tones and shading for the human figures. The body of Christ and the natural landscape conversely shine in a riot of yellow, red, and green.

3. Fernand Khnopff, Caress of the Sphinx 1896

Symbolic art uses a massive variety of subjects. Elements such as women, animals, natural landscapes, and mythological creatures were all used to communicate deep meanings. One of the most unusual examples is Fernand Khnopff’s Caress of the Sphinx. The artwork plays on an earlier work by Gustave Moreau titled Oedipus and the Sphinx. Today, scholars note Khnopff’s expert painterly style. However, the painting is also a notable example of androgyny in fine art, showing a complicated approach to gender and sexuality.

4. Jan Toorop, The Three Brides 1892

Jan Toorop was a leading Dutch-Indonesian Symbolist painter. His artwork The Three Brides shows the three stages of the human soul. On the far left is an innocent child-like figure in a Madonna pose. In the center, a bride with her breasts and belly exposed shines among a bed of flowers. She symbolizes earthly love and delights. On the far right, the third woman adorned with a necklace of skulls appears darker and more menacing. This figure is the final stage of the soul, linked to death and the afterlife.

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