Symbolism

Symbolism

Artistic Movements, Periods and Styles in 5 Points

Symbolism

It was one of the most important artistic movements of the late 19th century. It prevailed in literature, but it was also crucial for painting, since it was a wonderful time in the history of art in which subjectivity started to acquire importance.
In symbolism, the world was a mystery to be interpreted by the artist. Painting should be poetry. There was a reaction against the tradition of realism in the arts, but there was something even more important: it was also a strong reaction against materialism and the practical life proposed by the new culture of the industrial revolution.
Symbolism was inner search, it was diving into the depths of the soul, with the powerful incentive that meant the popularization of Freud’s theories about dreams and the unconscious. (This last phrase could define both Symbolism and the birth of Modern Art in general, right?)
There was no recognizable and unique style among its supporters. We can say that it was an attitude, a new way of thinking, which each artist carried forward in his own particular way. Each one generated his own suggestive, allegorical language and his irrational, dreamlike, supernatural scenarios (which were a very powerful influence for the birth of Surrealism).
We can recognize a certain ornamental artifice in the symbolic work in order to move away from Realism. We can also appreciate a certain formal abstraction, and synthesis. Colors are strong at times, sometimes pastel, but always looking for an “unnatural” touch.

Representative artists: Moreau, Redon, Puvis de Chavannes, Klimt.

Image: The Chimera (1867) Gustave Moreau.

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