Symbolism
Outline:
- Brief Introduction and Quickfacts
- Detailed Description
- Artists and Paintings
- More Examples – defined visual appearance
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Overview and quickfacts
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style originates with the 1857 publication of Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal. The works of Edgar Allan Poe, which Baudelaire admired greatly and translated into French, were a significant influence and the source of many stock tropes and images. The aesthetic was developed by a group of poets, critics and artists associated with Les Vingt, in Brussels and Paris.
The art style is also known as: Metaphor, simile, allegory, emblem, sign
Categories: Impressionism, Modernism
1. William Blake (1757-1827) 2. John Martin (1789-1854) 3. Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914) 4. William Morris (1834-1896) 5. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) 6. James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) 7. Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901) 8. Max Klinger (1857-1920) 9. Odilon Redon (1840-1916) 10. Gustave Moreau (1826-1898) 11. Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) 12. Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) 13. Georges Seurat (1859-1891) 14. Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) 15. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) 16. Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) 17. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) 18. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) 19. Georges Méliès (1861-1938) 20. Emile Cohl (1857-1938) 21. Winsor McCay (1867-1934) 22. George Herriman (1880-1944) 23. Otto Messmer (1892-1983) 24. Walt Disney (1901-1966) 25. Ub Iwerks (1901-1971) 26. Max Fleischer (1883-1972) 27. Chuck Jones (1912-2002) 28. John Kricfalusi (1955- ) 29. Matt Groening (1954- ) 30. Mike Judge (1962- )
1. The Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893 2. The Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889 3. The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dalí, 1931 4. Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, 1942 5. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Robert Wiene, 1920 6. The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai, 1829-32 7. The Hay Wagon, Andrew Wyeth, 1953 8. American Gothic, Grant Wood, 1930 9. The Madonna of the Stairs, Michelangelo, 1501-04 10. The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo, 1511 11. The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, 1498 12. The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, 1486 13. The Madonna and Child, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472 14. The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472 15. The Baptism of Christ, Leonardo da Vinci, 1472-75 16. The Adoration of the Magi, Leonardo da Vinci, 1481-82 17. The Madonna of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1483 18. The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06 19. The Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665 20. The Night Watch, Rembrandt, 1642 21. The Hay Wagon, Andrew Wyeth, 1953 22. The Arnolfini Portrait, Jan van Eyck, 1434 23. The Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck, 1432 24. The Madonna and Child, Michelangelo, 1497-98 25. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Michelangelo, 1508-12 26. The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, 1498 27. The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, 1486 28. The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472 29. The Baptism of Christ, Leonardo da Vinci, 1472-75 30. The Madonna of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1483
Detailed Description
Symbolism was a late nineteenth-century art movement of French, Russian and Belgian origin in poetry and other arts. In literature, the style originates with the 1857 publication of Charles Baudelaire’s Les Fleurs du mal; the works of Edgar Allan Poe, which Baudelaire admired greatly and translated into French, were a significant influence and the source of many stock tropes and images. The aesthetic was developed by a group of poets and artists associated with the Salon de la Rose+Croix in Paris, although Symbolism as an art movement preceded the Salon. Due to the fact that Symbolism focused more on ideas and emotions rather than on concrete reality, it was considered by some to be a reaction against Impressionism and Naturalism, while others believed that it was the logical continuation of the Romantic tradition. In a broad sense, Symbolism was a reaction against the materialism and empiricism which dominated the arts in the 19th century. Symbolists believed that art should represent absolute truths that could only be described indirectly; thus, they wrote in a highly metaphorical and suggestive manner, using symbols and images to convey complex ideas and emotions. In this respect, they were influenced by the Pre-Raphaelites, who sought to express spiritual truths through the depiction of physical reality. The Symbolist aesthetic was characterized by a highly subjective, personal style; the artists sought to express their innermost thoughts and emotions rather than to record objective reality. The chief characteristics of Symbolist art are suggestiveness and ambiguity, both of which are achieved through the use of symbols. Symbolist artists believed that art should express the innermost truths of the human soul, and that these truths could only be hinted at indirectly; thus, they often used symbols to suggest ideas and emotions. Famous Symbolist artists include Odilon Redon, Gustave Moreau, Paul Gauguin, and Aubrey Beardsley.
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Artists and Paintings
Known Artists
1. William Blake (1757-1827) 2. John Martin (1789-1854) 3. Edward Robert Hughes (1851-1914) 4. William Morris (1834-1896) 5. Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-1882) 6. James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903) 7. Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901) 8. Max Klinger (1857-1920) 9. Odilon Redon (1840-1916) 10. Gustave Moreau (1826-1898) 11. Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904) 12. Paul Gauguin (1848-1903) 13. Georges Seurat (1859-1891) 14. Camille Pissarro (1830-1903) 15. Pierre-Auguste Renoir (1841-1919) 16. Paul Cézanne (1839-1906) 17. Vincent van Gogh (1853-1890) 18. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) 19. Georges Méliès (1861-1938) 20. Emile Cohl (1857-1938) 21. Winsor McCay (1867-1934) 22. George Herriman (1880-1944) 23. Otto Messmer (1892-1983) 24. Walt Disney (1901-1966) 25. Ub Iwerks (1901-1971) 26. Max Fleischer (1883-1972) 27. Chuck Jones (1912-2002) 28. John Kricfalusi (1955- ) 29. Matt Groening (1954- ) 30. Mike Judge (1962- )
Known Paintings / Pictures / Images
1. The Scream, Edvard Munch, 1893 2. The Starry Night, Vincent van Gogh, 1889 3. The Persistence of Memory, Salvador Dalí, 1931 4. Nighthawks, Edward Hopper, 1942 5. The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Robert Wiene, 1920 6. The Great Wave off Kanagawa, Katsushika Hokusai, 1829-32 7. The Hay Wagon, Andrew Wyeth, 1953 8. American Gothic, Grant Wood, 1930 9. The Madonna of the Stairs, Michelangelo, 1501-04 10. The Creation of Adam, Michelangelo, 1511 11. The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, 1498 12. The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, 1486 13. The Madonna and Child, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472 14. The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472 15. The Baptism of Christ, Leonardo da Vinci, 1472-75 16. The Adoration of the Magi, Leonardo da Vinci, 1481-82 17. The Madonna of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1483 18. The Mona Lisa, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1503-06 19. The Girl with a Pearl Earring, Johannes Vermeer, c. 1665 20. The Night Watch, Rembrandt, 1642 21. The Hay Wagon, Andrew Wyeth, 1953 22. The Arnolfini Portrait, Jan van Eyck, 1434 23. The Ghent Altarpiece, Jan van Eyck, 1432 24. The Madonna and Child, Michelangelo, 1497-98 25. The Sistine Chapel Ceiling, Michelangelo, 1508-12 26. The Last Supper, Leonardo da Vinci, 1498 27. The Birth of Venus, Sandro Botticelli, 1486 28. The Annunciation, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1472 29. The Baptism of Christ, Leonardo da Vinci, 1472-75 30. The Madonna of the Rocks, Leonardo da Vinci, c. 1483
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