We explain what symbolism was and what its general characteristics are. In addition, we explain its representatives and examples of this movement.
Symbolism makes use of images that express different emotions.
What is Symbolism?
The symbolism It was one of the literary and artistic movements most important that originated in France in 1886. It used symbols (signs that were related to the abstract) to represent emotions and an overflowing imagination. The movement considered the world as a mystery and art as a dream.
The symbolism was highlighted by the poetic content that pursued the inner search for universal truthsfrom spirituality, imagination and dreams. It was opposed to the movements of naturalism and realism that showed everyday reality in an exaggerated way.
See also: Romanticism
Characteristics of symbolism
Symbolism plays with the viewer’s perception, imagination and unreality.
Symbolism is a movement that reacts against the values of materialism of industrial societyseeks universal truth and pursues a more spiritual inner search.
Make reference to the independence of art in relation to the rest of the areas of life and attempts to express the artist’s deepest feelings and anguish. He seeks to play with the viewer’s perception, imagination and unreality, which causes a strong attraction.
The literature of symbolism expresses ideas with sensitive stories and metaphysical intentionsIt uses symbolic resources, such as synesthesia (the variation in human perception) in which a color can refer to a scent or a musical lyric.
The art of symbolism represents the opposite of realism and Each symbol he uses has a specific meaning that is unique to the artist. and a subjective vision of the viewer, that is, one that does not have a single interpretation and is highlighted by its content rather than its technique or style.
Literary representatives of symbolism
Symbolist works failed to achieve great recognition in history.
Among the literary representatives of symbolism the French poet Charles Baudelaire stands out considered the most influential writer. His works were classified as dark and immoral, for relating topics about drug use, sexuality and Satanism. Several of his works were even banned.
Symbolist literary works They failed to achieve great recognition throughout history, although they marked the way towards the future literary avant-garde. Among the most representative poets are the Count de Lautréamont, Stéphane Mallarmé, Juan Moréas, Arthur Rimbaud, Albert Samain and Germain Marie Nouveau.
The influence of symbolism in Hispanic literature was reflected in the works of authors such as:
- Manuel Gutierrez Najera (Mexico)
- Leopoldo Lugones (Argentina)
- Julian del Casal (Cuba)
- Ruben Dario (Nicaragua)
- José María Eguren (Peru)
- Salvador Díaz Mirón (Uruguay)
- Jose Asuncion Silva (Colombia)
Artistic representatives of symbolism
Félix Vallotto was a Swiss symbolist painter.
Among the artistic representatives of symbolism that influenced later movements such as art nouveau or surrealism, the following stand out:
- The sculptor Auguste Rodin (France)
- The painter Aristide Maillol (France)
- The sculptor Émile Antoine Bourdelle (France)
- The painter Juan Delville (Belgium)
- The painter Gustav Klimt (Austria)
- The sculptor Adolf von Hildebrand (Germany)
- The sculptor Medardo Rosso (Italy)
- The painter Gaetano Previati (Italy)
- The painter Félix Vallotton (Switzerland)
Examples of symbols
The movement uses symbolic content to communicate emotions and abstract realities, in addition to the use of irrational, fantastic and subjective representations. Some examples of the symbols and their meaning are:
- The figure of the woman. It represented the abstract, complex and taboo.
- Lilies. They represented the delicate or melancholic.
- Swans. They represented purity.
- Peacocks. They represented beauty and vanity.
- Landscapes. They represented loneliness.