# data[].attributes.body
Pdf of Dan's Lecture on Symbolism and its use in Theatre and Art

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
-Madeline
Alfred Hitchcock is regarded by many film critics and audiences as one of the greatest if not the greatest film director of all time. No matter how you may feel about his movies it would be very difficult to argue against Hitchcock's exceptional craftsmanship in his films. Recently I watched one of Hitchcock's most acclaimed films Vertigo for my Film Analysis class and I discovered many questions and answers about this film that I had not seen before when I watched the film in high school. The film is about a detective who gets lost in his obsession and in the end loses everything to it. I found the film to be unique, dark, very sad, and full of suspense. Hitchcock went out of his way to make sure that this film incorporated the symbolism of these ideas and themes in the film in one way or another. What is Hitchcock trying to say with this film and it mystery and better yet what does all of this symbolism mean for modern audiences today?

Vertigo tells the story of John "Scottie" Ferguson who begins the film in a chase as he is pursuing an apparent suspect when he jumps and fails to reach the next roof in line and instead holds onto the gutter. Once he is here he discovers that he has vertigo which keeps him from pulling himself up. The movie then moves to a different time where Scottie apparently survived the fall. After having a brief conversation with a lady friend Midge he goes to an old acquaintance of his,Galvin Elster, who believes that his wife Madeline is possessed by an ancient relative who has come to end her life. Scottie begins to follow her and eventually begins to fall in love with her. As the story progresses he becomes more and more consumed by the her and the idea of her. The final act of the film is a reflection of showing just how far his obsession has become as he transforms another girl he loves into a near replica of Madeline. It is a sad turn for the character and at times very difficult to watch. The film ends in a way that leaves the movie rather ambiguous as Scottie is left alone without much explanation as to what all was happening in the film.

The film puts a very subtle but powerful emphasis on colors and symbolism which I believe adds to the ambiguity of the film. Red,yellow,green, black,white, and grey are all noticeably spread throughout the film. What do these colors mean? As with all types of art and literature that is a very interpretation based question with a very interpretation based answer. I believe that the film uses colors to show symbolism associated with certain objects and people. I found this to ring especially true when looking at the color green that is associated with Madeline/Judy, the color yellow with the character of Midge, and the color of red associated with Elster. All of the women play as a potential romantic interest to Scottie in the film. What's interesting is what all of these relationships mean to Scottie. Midge is a woman that seems like a person who would be happy to be with Scottie as she flirts with him many times and seems to genuinely like him. I saw this this relationship as the most grounded and safe for Scottie. She like him and all he had to do is like her back. I believe that the reason yellow is associated with her is because this is a very warm color that is many times associated with happiness or comfort. The next woman in Scottie's life was Madeline who would go on to become the center of his obsession as she seemed to be deeply in love with him. Green was a color that popped up all of the time when she was in scenes. The first time you see her she is wearing a green dress and later in the movie she is driving a green car. The color certainly means something and I theorize that it is meant to be some type of warning that Scottie cannot see that the audience can. Every time something dealing with the obsession present so is the color green. As I stated he was originally chasing green but as the film progresses it is shown in other ways. There was one point where the walls of a room was green and then toward the end of the movie there is a big green light behind Judy's hotel room. In that scene we see Scottie's obsession hit the highest it is in the film with him becoming truly and utterly consumed by the fantasy of Madeline. The reason I believe green is also tied to Judy is because the first time we meet her she is actually wearing a green dress. I believe that this suggests that Scottie sees a girl(Judy) that reminds him of his obsession. I also found it ironic that Madeline was the subject of Scottie's obsession while Judy was the victim of it. The last relationship with a color I want to mention is Elster's association with red. When the audience meets him for the first time he is seen in a red office and throughout the movie whenever he is present so is the color red. I believe that the color red is supposed to be a metaphorical red flag for audience to see that something is not right about Elster. In the film he ends up using Scottie and Judy to accomplish his goals and I believe that red is a warning to stop in your tracks much like a red light or a stop sign. The colors could mean any number of things and I believe that it was very clever of Hitchcock to use these colors because it created another layer of ambiguity to this already very ambiguous film.

Why do the colors even matter and why should you look at them? From what I understand Alfred Hitchcock very carefully crafted this film and every detail was essential to him. By look at the color schemes and analyzing the symbolism we can have a better idea of what the movie itself is saying. In this case I believe that these colors are there to give us more depth and a better understanding of what these characters represent. The movie is called Vertigo and in many ways the movie is about Scottie's desire for the fantasy he has created in Madeline but the fear of leaving the reality. Just as the policeman in the beginning of the movie falls so does Scottie; he falls head first into his obsession with a woman who really never existed in a sense. And much like the policeman who hits the ground at the end of the movie; Scottie to hits rock bottom when he has been completely consumed by his obsession and in the end he is left with nothing. I like to think of the shot of Scottie looking down to the ground at the beginning of the movie as Scottie as we see him early in the movie; looking into the world of Madeline but afraid to let go of the world he has which is filled with detective work and Midge. After looking down in fear he eventually lets go and succumbs to the fall much like he succumb to his obsession with Madeline and eventually everything comes to a halt that is not filled with happiness or safety.

This movie may not be my favorite Hitchcock movie but it certainly has its merits. The film is very ambiguous and filled with fascinating characters that always seem to be a mystery. While the film does not give the audience resolution or answers to the many questions the film raises, it does give fans and critics of the film something to think about and look at as they try to decipher the meaning of the movie using the clues given with the colors and the symbolism. The movie is a mystery that Hitchcock gave us with few answers and I am sure there are people out there that are obsessed with the meaning of the movie much like Scottie was with Madeline. And so it goes.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"Only one is a wanderer; two together are always going somewhere. " -Madeline Alfred Hitchcock is regarded by many film critics and audiences as one of the greatest if not the greatest film director of all time. No matter how you may feel about his movies it would be very difficult to argue against Hitchcock's...

# data[].attributes.body
'When Belle wears a yellow dress, the color symbolizes her and the Beasts’ growing love for each other, youth, and strength. Later When Belle’s father first stumbles upon the Beast’s castle, it is a dark and stormy night with lightning across the sky, which represents the terror Belle’s father is feeling when he is looking for the castle. The west wing in the castle is full of old rubbish and dust, which symbolizes feelings of desolation and neglect, as well as the frustration and rage the Beast feels. '

# data[].attributes.body
Symbolism of the green light in the 'Great Gatsby'

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"And as I sat there brooding on the old, unknown world, I thought of Gatsby's wonder when he first picked out the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. He had come a long way to this blue lawn, and his dream must have seemed so close that he could hardly fail to grasp it.

# data[].attributes.body
Symbolism in Chinese Theatre (and Make-Up)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Theatre of China
Theatre of China has a long and complex history. Today it is often called Chinese opera although this normally refers specifically to the more well-known forms such as Beijing Opera and Cantonese Opera , there have been many other forms of theatre in China.

Chinese Traditional form of theatre

Classical Chinese theatre

There are references to theatrical entertainments in China as early as the Shang Dynasty ; they often involved happiness, mimes, and acrobatic displays.

The Tang Dynasty is sometimes known as "The Age of 1000 Entertainments". During this era, Ming Huang formed an acting school known as The Pear Garden to produce a form of drama that was primarily musical. That is why actors are commonly called "Children of the Pear Garden."

During the Dynasty of Empress Ling, shadow puppetry first emerged as a recognized form of theatre in China. There were two distinct forms of shadow puppetry, Pekingese (northern) and Cantonese (southern). The two styles were differentiated by the method of making the puppets and the positioning of the rods on the , as opposed to the type of performed by the puppets. Both styles generally performed plays depicting great adventure and fantasy, rarely was this very stylized form of theatre used for political propaganda. Cantonese shadow puppets were the larger of the two. They were built using thick leather which created more substantial shadows. Symbolic color was also very prevalent; a black face represented honesty, a red one bravery. The rods used to control Cantonese puppets were attached perpendicular to the puppets' heads. Thus, they were not seen by the audience when the shadow was created. Pekingese puppets were more delicate and smaller. They were created out of thin, translucent leather (usually taken from the belly of a donkey).They were painted with vibrant paints, thus they cast a very colorful shadow. The thin rods which controlled their movements were attached to a leather collar at the neck of the puppet. The rods ran parallel to the bodies of the puppet then turned at a ninety degree angle to connect to the neck. While these rods were visible when the shadow was cast, they laid outside the shadow of the puppet; thus they did not interfere with the appearance of the figure. The rods attached at the necks to facilitate the use of multiple heads with one body. When the heads were not being used, they were stored in a muslin book or fabric lined box. The heads were always removed at night. This was in keeping with the old superstition that if left intact, the puppets would come to life at night. Some puppeteers went so far as to store the heads in one book and the bodies in another, to further reduce the possibility of reanimating puppets. Shadow puppetry is said to have reached its highest point of artistic development in the eleventh century before becoming a tool of the government.

In the Song Dynasty , there were many popular plays involving acrobatics and music. These developed in the Yuan Dynasty into a more sophisticated form known as zaju , with a four or five act structure. Yuan drama spread across China and diversified into numerous regional forms, the best known of which is Beijing Opera, which is still popular today.

Xiangsheng is a certain traditional Chinese comedic performance in the forms of monologue or dialogue.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Theatre of China Theatre of China has a long and complex history. Today it is often called Chinese opera although this normally refers specifically to the more well-known forms such as Beijing Opera and Cantonese Opera , there have been many other forms of theatre in China.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Symbolism, Meaning & Nihilism in Quentin Tarantino's Pulp Fiction | Issue 19 | Philosophy Now

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Mark Conard reveals the metaphysical truths lurking under the rug in Tarantino's cult classic.

# data[].attributes.headline
1950s Sci-Fi as a Symbol for the Cold War 

# data[].attributes.subject
1950s Sci-Fi as a Symbol for the Cold War 

# data[].attributes.body
The Alien as Evil Empire

There's no question that many aliens in Cold War era movies and TV shows were stand-ins for the Soviet Union. It's not surprising that those who attacked us in the 1950s films War of the Worlds and Invaders from Marscame from the Red Planet. If The Blob wasn't Red, it was certainly pink, and its goal was to overtake and consume everyone around it, almost like a Communist front group. These aliens were all after land and power, as even Marvin the Martian demonstrates in the classic Warner Bros. cartoon, Duck Dodgers in the 24th and a Half Century.

# data[].attributes.body
symbolic art

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Symbolism is an underlying and often distinct theme that pervades a work of writing. It is usually buried very subtly under the main narrative of a story or conversation in order to reinforce the main themes and add a certain layer of depth that would be missing otherwise. It is something that has always been regarded more as a term for an aspect featured in literature rather than in film. This may be true but it doesn't stop many filmmakers from employing the use of symbolism in their movies in very subtle ways. After all, many films are adapted from books every year no matter how loose the adaptations may be. The influence of literature on filmmakers has lead to a crossing of the two mediums that can either be amazing, like Rosemary's Baby or The Exorcist, or awful like I, Robot or The Stand. For this article I wanted to mix films that have supplemented the symbolism from their source material and others that are original cinematic works. I felt that this would be the best way to show how original films can still carry traits that are influenced by literature. One thing to consider before you read on is some of these may be well known by cinephiles, which I took into consideration when writing, so you will find familiar topics if you are a cinephile. I tried to make the list a combination of subtle hints of symbolism that casual filmgoers never noticed, while also adding entries that seasoned film lovers, like myself, would find interesting. With that being said, I now present to you 11 classic movies with amazing symbolism that you never noticed...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
11 Classic Movies With Amazing Symbolism That You Never Noticed

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Symbolism is an underlying and often distinct theme that pervades a work of writing. It is usually buried very subtly under the main narrative of a story or conversation in order to reinforce the main themes and add a certain layer of depth that would be missing otherwise.

# data[].attributes.body
this play contains lots of symbolism and realism, well worth reading or watching

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Between a film's obvious message, cool explosions, special effects, and boobs, it's easy to miss the more subtle point a film is getting across. We asked you to look past the flashy stuff and point out what we obviously missed. Winner is below, but first the runners-up ...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
23 Famous Movies Full of Symbolism You Didn't Notice

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Between a film's obvious message, cool explosions, special effects, and boobs, it's easy to miss the more subtle point a film is getting across. We asked you to look past the flashy stuff and point out what we obviously missed. Winner is below, but first the runners-up ...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
The Great Gatsby - Gatsby Believed In the Green Light(Final Scene)

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SparkNotes: The Yellow Wallpaper: Themes

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A summary of Themes in Charlotte Perkins Gilman's The Yellow Wallpaper. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Yellow Wallpaper and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SYMBOLISM - THE ROAD - Cormac McCarthy - AP LANG

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Symbolism in The Road by Cormac McCarthy - what you need to know to write a great analysis or pass an exam.

# data[].attributes.headline
'The Great Gatsby' - Symbolism in Literature. 

# data[].attributes.subject
'The Great Gatsby' - Symbolism in Literature. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
A summary of Themes in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby. Learn exactly what happened in this chapter, scene, or section of The Great Gatsby and what it means. Perfect for acing essays, tests, and quizzes, as well as for writing lesson plans.

# data[].attributes.headline
'Wuthering Heights' - Symbolism in Literature. 

# data[].attributes.subject
'Wuthering Heights' - Symbolism in Literature. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Wuthering Heights Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
© 2018 Shmoop University, Inc. All rights reserved.

# data[].attributes.body
F. Scott Fitzgerald's novella, The Great Gatsby, is filled with symbolism. One of the most iconic symbols is the green light at the end of Daisy's dock. Nick tells the reader that he sees Gatsby reaching towards the green light at the end of the first chapter, “…he stretched out his arms toward the dark water in a curious way, and, far as I was from him, I could have sworn he was trembling. Involuntarily I glanced seaward – and distinguished nothing except a single green light, minute and far away…”. The green light could represent Gatsby's hope of being with Daisy or could represent the unattainable American dream for money & status, which Daisy symbolizes to Gatsby. It could be argued that his love for Daisy is just his desire for the money & a high power status. In Norman Holmes Pearson's critical essay Reading a Novel--The Great Gatsby he describes what Daisy means to Gatsby, "She seemed to be the representation of what he yearned for: the platonic essence, the noumenal as he saw it through the phenomenal metaphor. She shone before him like silver, and he rode toward her as a knight rides toward his lady. And like America itself, with its Franklininan image of a society in whic there were no absolute barriers and a man could become what he wished to become, Daisy gave him the green light to move agead. Only it took money to buy the car to join the traffic." The "green" of the light could also represent money.

# data[].attributes.headline
Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' - Symbolism in film. 

# data[].attributes.subject
Hitchcock's 'Vertigo' - Symbolism in film. 

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
SparkNotes: Vertigo: Themes, Motifs, and Symbols

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Description and explanation of the major themes of Vertigo. This accessible literary criticism is perfect for anyone faced with Vertigo essays, papers, tests, exams, or for anyone who needs to create a Vertigo lesson plan.

# data[].attributes.body
Creating how man made objects mix with the natural world

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Symbolism is something that represents something else. See some examples of symbolism in poetry.

# data[].attributes.body
Symbolist Set Design

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
In every industry, once in a long while, a genius comes along. Born in 1862, Swiss painter Adophe Appia was among the new wave of set designers to reject then-standard 2D perspective backdrops in favor of creating 3D pieces because "he believed that shade was as necessary as light to form a connection between the actor and the setting of the performance in time and space. Through the use of control of light intensity, colour and manipulation, Appia created a new perspective of scene design and stage lighting".

Wikipedia goes on to say, "Directors and designers have both taken great inspiration from the work of Adolphe Appia, whose design theories and conceptualizations of Wagner's operas have helped to shape modern perceptions of the relationship between the performance space and lighting. One of the reasons for the influence of Appia's work and theories, is that he was working at time when electrical lighting was just evolving. Another is that he was a man of great vision who was able to conceptualize and philosophize about many of his practices and theories.

"The central principle underpinning much of Appia's work is that artistic unity is the primary function of the director and the designer. Appia maintained that two dimensional set painting and the performance dynamics it created, was the major cause of production disunity in his time. He advocated three elements as fundamental to creating a unified and effective mise en scene:

"Dynamic and three dimensional movements by actors
Perpendicular scenery
Using depth and the horizontal dynamics of the performance space"

Considering the event industry's current 3D set design trends, we thought we'd look at work by one of the men who revolutionized stagecraft and was at the forefront of creating some of the same effects and techniques we use in stage design today. Most of the photos and illustrations below were made or taken between 1917 and 1930.

You can see the strong use of light and shadow from these images, and indeed, Appia was one of the pioneers of using lighting to create depth and illusion, rather than to simply illuminate a particular area of the stage. Event producers today - particularly those who do set design or manage set designers - reap the rewards of Appia's work.
Images from the UBC.
Comments are closed.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
In every industry, once in a long while, a genius comes along. Born in 1862, Swiss painter Adophe Appia was among the new wave of set designers to reject then-standard 2D perspective backdrops in favor of creating 3D pieces because "he believed that shade was as necessary as light to form a connection between the actor and the setting of the performance in time and space.

# data[].attributes.body
Wikepedia Page on Symbolism

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The Symbolist poets have a more complex relationship with Parnassianism, a French literary style that immediately preceded it. While being influenced by hermeticism, allowing freer versification, and rejecting Parnassian clarity and objectivity, it retained Parnassianism's love of word play and concern for the musical qualities of verse.

# data[].attributes.body
Brief account of Symbolism in Theatre

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Adding the use of symbol in a student drama performance is a difficult task. But when symbol is weaved successfully into either classroom drama or professional theatre, it adds sophistication that places the show on a whole new level.

A symbol implies a greater meaning than the literal suggestion and is usually used to represent something other than what it is at face value. Symbolism in the theatre can be achieved via characters, colour, movement, costume and props.

Symbolism began with a group of French poets in the late 19th Century and soon spread to the visual arts and theatre, finding its peak between about 1885 and 1910. French poet Jean Moreas published the Symbolist Manifesto in 1886 that greatly influenced the entire movement in the visual and performing arts.

Symbolism in art implied a higher, more spiritual existence and aimed to express emotional experiences by visual means. In the theatre, symbolism was considered to be a reaction against the plays that embodied naturalism and realism at the turn of the 20th Century. The dialogue and style of acting in symbolist plays was highly stylised and anti realistic/non-naturalistic.

As theatre is often a blend of the visual and performing arts working in harmony, many of the sets and props in symbolist plays were also anti realistic/non-naturalistic and were often used to symbolise emotions or values in society. A huge throne could symbolise power, a window placed in a set could symbolise freedom in the outside world or a simple action by a character could symbolise a greater ideal in the context of the play.

In 1890 French poet Paul Fort opened the Theatre d'Art where many symbolist plays were performed. The primary symbolist playwrights included Belgian Maurice Maeterlinck and Frenchmen Auguste Villiers de L'Isle-Adam and Paul Claudel. Other playwrights who dabbled in the form included Swede August Strindberg (most closely associated with expressionism in the theatre), Irishman W.B. Yeats and American Eugene O'Neill.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Adding the use of symbol in a student drama performance is a difficult task. But when symbol is weaved successfully into either classroom drama or professional theatre, it adds sophistication that places the show on a whole new level.

# data[].attributes.body
Summary of Symbolism in Art

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
"In this art, scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena will not be described for their own sake; here, they are perceptible surfaces created to represent their esoteric affinities with the primordial Ideals."

Synopsis

As opposed to Impressionism, in which the emphasis was on the reality of the created paint surface itself, Symbolism was both an artistic and a literary movement that suggested ideas through symbols and emphasized the meaning behind the forms, lines, shapes, and colors. The works of some of its proponents exemplify the ending of the tradition of representational art coming from Classical times. Symbolism can also be seen as being at the forefront of modernism, in that it developed new and often abstract means to express psychological truth and the idea that behind the physical world lay a spiritual reality. Symbolists could take the ineffable, such as dreams and visions, and give it form.

Key Ideas

What unites the various artists and styles associated with Symbolism is the emphasis on emotions, feelings, ideas, and subjectivity rather than realism. Their works are personal and express their own ideologies, particularly the belief in the artist's power to reveal truth.

In terms of specific subject matter, the Symbolists combined religious mysticism, the perverse, the erotic, and the decadent. Symbolist subject matter is typically characterized by an interest in the occult, the morbid, the dream world, melancholy, evil, and death.

Instead of the one-to-one, direct-relationship symbolism found in earlier forms of mainstream iconography, the Symbolist artists aimed more for nuance and suggestion in the personal, half-stated, and obscure references called for by their literary and musical counterparts.

Symbolism provided a transition from Romanticism in the early part of the 19 th century to modernism in the early part of the 20 th century. In addition, the internationalism of Symbolism challenges the commonly held historical trajectory of modern art developed in France from Impressionism through Cubism.

Most Important Art

Symbolism Artworks in Focus:

Symbolism Overview Continues Below

Beginnings

Symbolism grew out of and was codified in the works of the writers Gustave Kahn and Jean Moréas, who first used the term "Symbolism" in 1886. These writers rejected Émile Zola's Naturalism and favored the subjectivity of the poets Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Verlaine, who both exercised great influence. Mallarmé hosted Symbolist receptions every Tuesday in his apartment; he was friends with many Symbolist artists including Paul Gauguin, James Abbott McNeill Whistler, Odilon Redon, and Edvard Munch.

Symbolism followed Impressionism chronologically, but it was the antithesis of it, as the emphasis was on the meaning behind the shapes and colors. It did, however, echo the sentiments of the Post-Impressionists Vincent Van Gogh and Paul Gauguin who both lamented the spiritual decline of the modern world. Elements of Symbolism appeared in their works, but the mainstream Symbolists showed greater concern for the interior life rather than external reality. Symbolism in the visual arts had its sources in early-19 th-century Romanticism's emphasis on the imagination, rather than reason, and the themes first evident in the writer Charles Baudelaire's Les Fleurs du Mal (1857). Additional sources include the personal visions of painter and poet William Blake, the aestheticism of the Pre-Raphaelite Brotherhood in England, and the poetic, allegorical, moody dream worlds created by Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rosetti, and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.

Symbolism was in many ways a reaction against the moralism, rationalism, and materialism of the 1880s. This fin-de-siècle period was a period of malaise - a sickness of dissatisfaction. Artists felt a need to go beyond naturalism in art, and like other forms of art and entertainment at the time, such as ballet and the cabaret, Symbolism served as a means of escape.

Symbolist Theory and Albert Aurier

An offshoot of the literary Symbolism that influenced visual art was the field of art criticism, particularly that of Albert Aurier. In 1891 he wrote, in what became essentially a Symbolist manifesto, that art should be
1) Idéiste (Ideative) ... expressing an idea
2) Symbolist since it expresses that idea through form
3) Synthetic since it expresses those forms and signs in a way that is generally understandable
4) Subjective since the object ... is only an indication of an idea perceived by the subject
5) and as a result it will also be Decorative ... since decorative painting is at once an art that is synthetic, symbolist, and ideative.

Concepts and Styles

The period in which the Symbolists worked was marked by confusion regarding moral, social, religious, and intellectual attitudes. The world was expanding beyond European norms; socialism no longer consisted of the benevolent intentions with which it set out. The relationship between love and marriage was being questioned, as was religion. Artists in particular felt that they were isolated and separate from the bourgeoisie. Yet the idea of the spiritual was very important in the development of Symbolism and reflected the anti-materialist philosophies that were concerned with mysticism (a direct connection and unity with the ultimate reality). An interest in the occult was related to this concept, as was a taste for the morbid and perverse, as this period is often described as one of "decadence" (a period of artistic or moral decline as seen in the preference for the artificial over the natural - and by extension, the idea that even humanity was in decline). English writer Oscar Wilde's works and the French writer Joris-Karl Huysman's À Rebours (Against Nature) (1884), as well as the art of many of the Symbolists, reflect this decadence.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Symbolism Overview Continues

The Symbolist artists (and writers) emphasized the idea of art for art's sake in that they were, for the most part, against the utilitarian applications for art (that is, different from the Art Nouveau artists) and also believed that art did not have to relate to everyday experience.

Symbolism and Synthetism

Synthetism, in particular, is necessary for an understanding of Symbolist aesthetics. Artists that practiced Synthetism combined elements from the real world or borrowed from other works of art or forms of art to create new realities. For example, among the tendencies of the Symbolists was the interest in assimilating music into art; this idea was influenced by the philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer who conceived of music as an art form that communicated its meaning directly. The visual artists emulated this characteristic of music. They also used musical methods of organizing compositions, such as the use of leitmotifs - repeating elements that unify the work. Symbolist artists were particularly interested in the music of Richard Wagner, who believed in the spiritual forces in music and envisioned a sweeping unification of the arts. Thus, whether visual or audial, the Symbolists attempted to put inarticulate experience into some kind of apprehensible sensory form.

Symbolism and Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau is considered a subspecies of Symbolism. There is a great deal of overlap in Art Nouveau and Symbolist subject matter (for instance in the decadent themes of the work of Aubrey Beardsley), but Art Nouveau is much more specifically an ornamental style based on organic form and applied to all forms of art, that is, to any object that can be made "artistic," e.g. jewelry, furniture, etc. It is difficult to trace its origin, but most scholars agree that it began in Belgium with the work of Victor Horta. However, the style quickly became international. Art Nouveau's purpose was to create an aesthetic that could be applied to all art forms and therefore could exist in harmony with the needs of the machine age and the modern world.

International Aspects of Symbolism

Most scholars refer to Symbolism in the visual arts as an attitude toward subject matter rather than a movement, as it was more clearly in literature. Most late-19 th-century Symbolist artists experienced the sociopolitical and moral upheaval that was prevalent at the time, resulting in personal, spiritual, mystical, and oftentimes obscure symbols and subjects relating to the perceived decadence of the period. The works of artists from many countries shared in this vision to varying degrees and arising from various visual sources. We begin with France, where the term 'Symbolism' was first used to describe this phenomenon, and where the aesthetic was first codified.

Symbolism in France

The two most notable Symbolist artists in France were Gustave Moreau and Odilon Redon. Moreau looked toward the Romantic artists such as Eugène Delacroix and the exotic in general. Redon was also influenced by the Romantics in his creation of fantasy dream worlds, but also by Francisco Goya, which accounts for the disquieting effect of his work.

The Nabis

The Nabis (from the Hebrew and Arabic term for "prophets," and by extension, the artist as the "seer") were a Symbolist group founded by Paul Sérusier in 1889 and based on his 1888 painting The Talisman. Although they did not ascribe to the same religious or political views as other Symbolists, the Nabis wanted to be in touch with a higher power; they believed that the artist had the role of a high priest who has the power to reveal the invisible. Their style grew more out of the work of Paul Gauguin, manifested in flatness and stylization, although the subject matter is different, focusing on domestic interiors, as in the case of Édouard Vuillard and Pierre Bonnard. Many of the Nabis artists published in the Symbolist review La Revue Blanche alongside their literary counterparts.

Symbolism and Rosicrucianism

The Rosicrucians were a group of artists headed by the writer Sar Joséphin Péladan, who followed the occult beliefs of the supposed 15 th-century visionary Christian Rosenkreuz. They rejected the materialism of the age, and they revived Catholic and Renaissance art, but with mystical, occult overtones. Art for this group was an initiation into religious revelation. The works they produced took the form of mystical allegories, but were stylistically more traditional. The artists Charles Filiger, Armand Point, and Marcellin Desboutin were associated with this Symbolist group, and exhibited in the Paris Salons of the Rose and Croix from 1892 until 1897. These salons were significant in that they highlighted the work of a number of artists from countries other than France.

Symbolism in Belgium

In Belgium, the two most significant artists were Fernand Khnopff, in whose work a certain level of perversity persists, and the more idiosyncratic and less literary James Ensor, who investigated the symbolism of masks.

Symbolism in England

Symbolism in England in the 1890s can be seen in the work of the artist Aubrey Beardsley and the writer Oscar Wilde, which might be described as "decadent," with an emphasis on the erotic. Beardsley explored such Symbolist themes as the medieval dream world of King Arthur, the idea of the femme fatale, the thematic material of the composer Richard Wagner, and dandyism. Beardsley's style, however, with its elastic lines, is closer to that of Art Nouveau, with which he is also associated.

Symbolism in Other Countries

In Switzerland, Arnold Böcklin created his "mood landscapes," synthesizing the images from his imagination. His countryman Ferdinand Hodler produced works, such as his Night (1896) and Day (1899), which are characterized by more illusionistic and modeled figures as well as the use of personifications and allegories, rather than symbols as such - although the postures and gestures of his figures do seem to symbolize states of being. In Italy, Giovanni Segantini created mystical visions of the Swiss Alps. An important, if short-lived, group of Symbolist artists came from Holland, including Jan Toorop and Johan Thorn Prikker, who both created archetypal Symbolist pictures. Russian Symbolist artists, such as Leon Bakst, contributed designs for the stage. Examples from the United States included Arthur B. Davies and Maurice Prendergast, who only partially shared in any Symbolist vision, turning as well to other styles, and Alfred Pinkham Ryder, who, although he painted mystic, moody allegories, is usually considered an idiosyncratic artist, not associated with any particular group.

Later Developments

Later Symbolist painting is best exemplified in the works of Gustav Klimt and Edvard Munch. The former's work represents more of a culmination of art prior to the effects of World War I, while the latter's work was and continued to be considered modern throughout his career.

The Symbolism of Gustav Klimt

In Austria, Symbolism is best represented by the work of Gustav Klimt (who was also associated with Art Nouveau), the progressive artist who entered the international Symbolist arena in 1897 by founding the Viennese Secession group. This move entailed a rejection of the salon system and other academic organizations in order to further the modern, more abstract direction, which also entailed more controversial content that mirrored Freud's recent findings. In fact, many historians have commented upon the rapid internationalization of the Art Nouveau style as helping to supplant that of the Symbolists. In view of the eclecticism of his multiple sources, his work has been described as the "last fruits of the Symbolist harvest." His contribution to Symbolism was that many of his works, though Symbolist in subject matter, aimed to unite the arts and crafts in a way similar to that of the Art Nouveau aesthetic, but different from the other Symbolist artists who were more interested in "art for art's sake."

Symbolism of Edvard Munch

The Berlin Secession in Germany was more conservative than that of Austria, although it did mount an exhibition of the more avant-garde work of the painter from Norway Edvard Munch. Unlike many of the other Symbolists, Munch remained a prolific, modern, and influential painter throughout his life. As one critic has written regarding Munch's work: "long before it was enunciated elsewhere, he embodied the doctrine that the modern artist puts himself personally at risk in his art - that in giving life to his creations, he necessarily risks his own." Munch's work is Symbolist in that the meanings are derived from the colors and forms; his work goes beyond that of other Symbolists in that it is more formally expressive and uses figures' postures and gestures to consistently produce new meanings.

Late Manifestations of Symbolism

Later Symbolist ideas appear in the work of Expressionist artist Oskar Kokoschka in works such as The Bride of the Wind (1914), where he draws upon the well-worn symbol of two lovers in a boat. Even the young Pablo Picasso during his Blue and Rose Periods is essentially a Symbolist, when he seizes upon Symbolist subjects such as the clown as a symbol of the outsider.

However, in the years leading up to World War I, there was growing dissatisfaction with the over-refinement and obscurities of Symbolism, as many artists desired to move in the direction of the raw and "primitive," in the hopes of bringing a new world into being - even if war was part of the answer.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Symbolism Movement, Artists and Major Works

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
"In this art, scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena will not be described for their own sake; here, they are perceptible surfaces created to represent their esoteric affinities with the primordial Ideals."