Summarize this article with:
The mysterious world of symbolism birthed artists who rejected mundane reality in favor of dreams, myths, and the subconscious.
These visionaries crafted enigmatic works filled with hidden meanings and spiritual depth during the late 19th century.
Symbolism artists challenged realism by exploring interior landscapes of the mind. Their dreamlike imagery and mythological references created powerful visual metaphors that still resonate today.
Using techniques from watercolor painting to etching, they developed unique visual languages focusing on spiritual themes and psychological art.
This exploration will unveil the esoteric symbolism and idealist painting approaches of figures like Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, and Arnold Böcklin. We’ll examine how their:
- Allegorical figures expressed universal truths
- Mystical influences shaped their artistic visions
- Personal iconography created metaphorical paintings
- Legacy bridged 19th century traditions with modern movements
Discover how these artists used symbolic color and visionary techniques to create windows into the soul.
Symbolism Artists
Odilon Redon (1840-1916)
Nationality: French
Art Movement(s): Symbolism
Mediums: Oil painting, pastels, charcoal, lithography
Artistic Signature
Redon’s work evolved from dark charcoal drawings to vibrant pastels and oils. His pieces feature dreamlike imagery with floating heads, strange creatures, and eye-like flowers rendered with subtle color harmony.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explored the subconscious mind, featuring mythological subjects, Christian imagery, and Buddhist elements. Redon’s work often depicts eyeballs, flowers, and hybrid creatures symbolizing spiritual revelation.
Influences & Training
Formally trained under Jean-Léon Gérôme, Redon was influenced by Rodolphe Bresdin and Eugène Delacroix. His style developed independently from contemporary movements, drawing from literature and Eastern philosophy.
Notable Works
- The Cyclops (1914) – Oil on wood, Kröller-Müller Museum
- Ophelia Among the Flowers (1905-1908) – Pastel on paper
- The Black Pegasus (1909) – Pastel on paper
Role in Art History
Redon bridged 19th-century Romanticism with 20th-century Surrealism. His exploration of dreams and the unconscious deeply influenced the Symbolist movement and later Surrealists.
Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)
Nationality: French
Art Movement(s): Symbolism
Mediums: Oil on canvas, watercolor
Artistic Signature
Moreau created richly detailed, jewel-toned paintings with ornate patterns and elaborate architectural backgrounds. His work features meticulous execution and theatrical composition with symbolic figures.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
Biblical and mythological subjects dominate his work, particularly femmes fatales like Salome. He explored themes of death, desire, and spirituality through exotic and fantastical narratives.
Influences & Training
Trained at École des Beaux-Arts under François-Édouard Picot, Moreau studied Renaissance masters in Italy. He was influenced by Eugène Delacroix’s color contrast and Eastern decorative traditions.
Notable Works
- Jupiter and Semele (1894-1895) – Oil on canvas, Musée Gustave Moreau
- The Apparition (1876) – Watercolor, Musée d’Orsay
- Oedipus and the Sphinx (1864) – Oil on canvas, Metropolitan Museum of Art
Role in Art History
As a professor at École des Beaux-Arts, Moreau influenced Henri Matisse and Georges Rouault. His elaborate mythological scenes and decorative style anticipated Art Nouveau and Abstract Expressionism.
Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)
Nationality: Austrian
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Art Nouveau
Mediums: Oil painting, murals, sketches, gold leaf
Artistic Signature
Klimt’s mature style combined flat, decorative patterns with realistic elements. He used gold leaf and intricate ornamental surfaces, creating a tension between two-dimensional decoration and sensual figurative representation.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explored human sexuality, the female body, and the cycle of life. Klimt frequently used allegorical figures representing medicine, philosophy, and justice, as well as Byzantine-inspired mosaics.
Influences & Training
Formally trained at Vienna’s School of Arts and Crafts, Klimt was influenced by Japanese prints, Byzantine mosaics, and Egyptian art. His work as a decorative painter shaped his approach to flat pattern and ornament.
Notable Works
- The Kiss (1907-1908) – Oil and gold leaf on canvas, Belvedere Museum
- Portrait of Adele Bloch-Bauer I (1907) – Oil and gold on canvas
- The Tree of Life (1909) – Stoclet Frieze, Brussels
Role in Art History
Klimt co-founded the Vienna Secession, challenging academic tradition. His decorative approach to figure painting and exploration of psychological themes influenced modern Austrian art and broader European Symbolism.
Edvard Munch (1863-1944)
Nationality: Norwegian
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Expressionism
Mediums: Oil painting, printmaking, pastels
Artistic Signature
Munch used sinuous lines, simplified forms, and emotional color psychology to create psychological intensity. His distorted perspective and swirling compositions convey inner emotional states.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His work explores anxiety, illness, and death. Recurring motifs include isolated figures in landscapes, the “femme fatale,” screaming faces, and a distinctive “Frieze of Life” narrative cycle about love and mortality.
Influences & Training
Initially trained in Oslo, Munch’s brief formal education was supplemented by time in Paris, where Post-Impressionism and Symbolism shaped his vision. Personal tragedies and psychological struggles deeply informed his art.
Notable Works
- The Scream (1893) – Oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard, National Gallery of Norway
- Madonna (1894-1895) – Oil on canvas, National Gallery of Norway
- The Dance of Life (1899-1900) – Oil on canvas, National Museum of Art
Role in Art History
Munch pioneered psychological expressionism, influencing German Expressionists and Fauvism. His emotional intensity and symbolic visual language established him as a bridge between 19th-century Symbolism and 20th-century Expressionism.
Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921)
Nationality: Belgian
Art Movement(s): Symbolism
Mediums: Oil painting, pastel, pencil, photography
Artistic Signature
Khnopff created meticulously detailed works with smooth surfaces and muted color wheel palettes. His enigmatic compositions often feature photographic precision with a sense of uncanny stillness and silence.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explores themes of identity and solitude. Recurring motifs include androgynous figures, his sister Marguerite as model, sphinx imagery, empty town squares, and dreamlike landscapes of Bruges.
Influences & Training
Trained at Brussels Academy, Khnopff was influenced by English Pre-Raphaelites, especially Edward Burne-Jones. He was also inspired by photography, classical mythology, and the Belgian architectural landscapes of his youth.
Notable Works
- I Lock My Door Upon Myself (1891) – Oil on canvas, Neue Pinakothek
- The Caress (1896) – Oil on canvas, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
- Portrait of Marguerite Khnopff (1887) – Pastel on paper
Role in Art History
Khnopff’s precise technique and psychological ambiguity influenced Viennese Secession artists. His enigmatic imagery and exploration of the subconscious anticipated Surrealist concerns with dreams and desire.
Jean Delville (1867-1953)
Nationality: Belgian
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Idealism
Mediums: Oil painting, tempera, pastels, drawings
Artistic Signature
Delville created highly finished paintings with luminous tertiary colors and elongated figures. His idealized forms, geometric precision, and otherworldly lighting produce a sense of spiritual transcendence.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art focused on esoteric subjects, spiritual awakening, and the conflict between spirit and matter. Recurring themes include Platonic love, astral bodies, angelic beings, and occult symbolism.
Influences & Training
Educated at Brussels Academy under Jean-François Portaels, Delville was influenced by Sâr Péladan’s Rosicrucian movement. His spiritual beliefs in Theosophy and occult philosophy profoundly shaped his artistic vision.
Notable Works
- The School of Plato (1898) – Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay
- Satan’s Treasures (1895) – Oil on canvas, Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium
- The Angel of Splendor (1894) – Oil on canvas
Role in Art History
Delville founded Belgium’s Idealist movement and organized the Salons d’Art Idéaliste. His technically precise spiritual imagery created a bridge between Symbolism and later mystical currents in modern art.
Lucien Lévy-Dhurmer (1865-1953)
Nationality: French
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Art Nouveau
Mediums: Oil painting, pastels, ceramics
Artistic Signature
Lévy-Dhurmer created softly rendered, atmospheric works with sfumato technique. His distinctive style combines dreamlike haziness with precise details, often using analogous color schemes of blues and greens.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His work explores themes of mystery and silence. Recurring subjects include evocative female portraits, mythological scenes, musical allegories, and North African landscapes wrapped in mystical atmosphere.
Influences & Training
Initially trained as a ceramicist, Lévy-Dhurmer was self-taught as a painter. He was influenced by Italian Renaissance masters, particularly Leonardo da Vinci, as well as North African art from his travels in Algeria.
Notable Works
- Silence (1895) – Pastel, private collection
- The Blind Girl (1896) – Pastel, Musée d’Orsay
- Eve (1896) – Oil on panel
Role in Art History
Though less known than contemporaries, Lévy-Dhurmer’s atmospheric technique and emotional intensity represent a unique fusion of symbolist themes with Renaissance techniques and Art Nouveau decorative sensibilities.
Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901)
Nationality: Swiss
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Romanticism
Mediums: Oil painting, tempera
Artistic Signature
Böcklin painted with sharp detail and bold forms, using dramatic lighting effects and rich colors. His landscapes combine realistic elements with mythical figures, creating a distinctive atmosphere of mystery and melancholy.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art frequently explores mortality and the relationship between humans and nature. Recurring motifs include isolated islands, ruins, mythological creatures (especially centaurs, nymphs, and mermaids), and allegorical death figures.
Influences & Training
Trained at Düsseldorf Academy under Johann Wilhelm Schirmer, Böcklin was influenced by German Romantic landscape traditions and Italian Renaissance masters during his time in Rome.
Notable Works
- Isle of the Dead (1880, plus several versions) – Oil on canvas, various museums
- Self-Portrait with Death Playing the Fiddle (1872) – Oil on canvas, Alte Nationalgalerie
- The Play of the Naiads (1886) – Oil on panel, Kunstmuseum Basel
Role in Art History
Böcklin bridged Romantic and Symbolist movements with his mythological imagery. His enigmatic works influenced Surrealists and metaphysical painters like Giorgio de Chirico, popularizing dreamlike symbolic landscapes.
Carlos Schwabe (1866-1926)
Nationality: Swiss-German
Art Movement(s): Symbolism
Mediums: Watercolor painting, oils, prints
Artistic Signature
Schwabe created ethereal compositions with sinuous Art Nouveau lines and translucent figures. His meticulous technique produces luminous, floating forms with elongated proportions and spiritual intensity.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His work explores death, resurrection, and spiritual transcendence. Recurring imagery includes angels, female figures as spiritual guides, chrysalides, and butterflies symbolizing metamorphosis and the soul’s journey.
Influences & Training
Trained at the Geneva School of Industrial Arts, Schwabe was influenced by French literary Symbolism, particularly Baudelaire and Mallarmé. His spiritual beliefs and study of mystical texts deeply informed his imagery.
Notable Works
- The Death of the Gravedigger (1895) – Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay
- Spleen and Ideal (1907) – Watercolor
- The Wave (1896) – Lithograph poster for La Maison Moderne
Role in Art History
Schwabe created the iconic poster for the first Salon de la Rose+Croix. His technically precise yet dreamlike illustrations brought Symbolist literary themes into visual form, influencing book illustration and Art Nouveau design.
Félicien Rops (1833-1898)
Nationality: Belgian
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Realism
Mediums: Etching, lithography, drawing, watercolor
Artistic Signature
Rops created provocative works with precise draftsmanship and satirical edge. His technical skill in printmaking allowed for detailed rendering of both realistic scenes and fantastical allegories with bold emphasis.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explores eroticism, death, and social hypocrisy. Recurring motifs include skeletons, devils, femmes fatales, and religious figures in compromising situations, often commenting on bourgeois morality.
Influences & Training
Largely self-taught as an artist, Rops was influenced by French caricaturists Honoré Daumier and Grandville. His move to Paris in 1874 connected him with literary figures like Baudelaire, whose work he illustrated.
Notable Works
- Pornokrates (1878) – Watercolor and pastel
- The Temptation of St. Anthony (1878) – Pencil, gouache, and watercolor
- Satan Sowing Tares (1879) – Heliogravure and aquatint
Role in Art History
Rops pushed boundaries with erotic and anticlerical imagery that exposed society’s moral contradictions. His technical innovations in printmaking and provocative subject matter influenced later Symbolists and Expressionists.
Pierre Puvis de Chavannes (1824-1898)
Nationality: French
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Neoclassicism
Mediums: Oil painting, murals
Artistic Signature
Puvis created simplified compositions with flattened forms and muted monochromatic color schemes. His distinctive style features pale, chalky palettes and arrested movement, creating a timeless, dreamlike atmosphere.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His work often depicts classical allegories and idealized pastoral scenes. Recurring subjects include symbolic representations of virtues, sciences, and arts, with figures arranged in harmonious groupings within serene landscapes.
Influences & Training
Initially trained under Henri Scheffer and Thomas Couture, Puvis was influenced by Italian fresco painting and classical antiquity. He rejected academic conventions to develop his simplified, decorative approach to mural painting.
Notable Works
- Sacred Grove, Beloved of the Arts and Muses (1884-1889) – Oil on canvas, Art Institute of Chicago
- Poor Fisherman (1881) – Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay
- Young Girls by the Seashore (1879) – Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay
Role in Art History
Puvis revolutionized mural painting with his decorative flatness and simplified forms. His work influenced subsequent generations including Gauguin, Picasso, and Matisse, bridging academic painting and modernist abstraction.
Jan Toorop (1858-1928)
Nationality: Dutch-Indonesian
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Pointillism
Mediums: Oil painting, drawing, printmaking
Artistic Signature
Toorop’s distinctive linear style featured elongated figures with flowing hair and sinuous, parallel lines. His work evolved through several styles, from pointillist technique to his famous “salad oil” linear drawings with Javanese influences.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explores spiritual themes and the struggle between good and evil. Recurring motifs include long-haired female figures, religious imagery, and hybrid Eastern-Western symbolism reflecting his mixed Indonesian-Dutch heritage.
Influences & Training
Trained at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam and later in Brussels, Toorop was influenced by Javanese wayang puppet theater from his childhood in Indonesia, as well as by Seurat’s pointillism and Belgian Symbolism.
Notable Works
- The Three Brides (1893) – Pencil and chalk on paper, Kröller-Müller Museum
- O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory (1892) – Mixed media on paper
- The Young Generation (1892) – Crayon and chalk on paper
Role in Art History
Toorop’s distinctive linear style influenced Art Nouveau graphic design throughout Europe. His unique fusion of Eastern and Western elements anticipated multicultural aspects of later modernism.
Jacek Malczewski (1854-1929)
Nationality: Polish
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Polish Modernism
Mediums: Oil painting, watercolor
Artistic Signature
Malczewski combined realistic technique with fantastical elements and bright primary colors. His compositions feature sharp contrasts between natural settings and mythological figures, often with theatrical arrangements and expressive faces.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explores Polish national identity and personal mythology. Recurring motifs include chimeras, fauns, angels of death, self-portraits, and allegorical figures representing fate, Poland, and the artist’s role in society.
Influences & Training
Trained at Krakow School of Fine Arts and École des Beaux-Arts in Paris, Malczewski was influenced by Polish romantic literature, classical mythology, and his experiences of Poland’s political struggles under foreign occupation.
Notable Works
- Melancholy (1894) – Oil on canvas, National Museum, Poznań
- Vicious Circle (1895-1897) – Oil on canvas, National Museum, Warsaw
- Thanatos series (1898-1899) – Oil on canvas
Role in Art History
Malczewski is considered the father of Polish Symbolism. His fusion of national themes with universal symbolic language created a distinctly Polish modernist style that influenced subsequent generations of Eastern European artists.
Aubrey Beardsley (1872-1898)
Nationality: British
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Art Nouveau, Decadent movement
Mediums: Ink drawing, illustration
Artistic Signature
Beardsley’s distinctive black and white illustrations feature bold flat patterns and sinuous lines with Japanese influences. His stylized drawings combine elegant curves with grotesque elements and striking asymmetrical balance.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explores sexuality, decadence, and the grotesque. Recurring motifs include androgynous figures, peacock feathers, masks, and erotic imagery that challenged Victorian sensibilities through suggestion rather than explicit content.
Influences & Training
Largely self-taught, Beardsley was influenced by Japanese woodblock prints, Greek vase painting, and French Rococo art. His brief career was mentored by Edward Burne-Jones, who recognized his unique talent.
Notable Works
- Illustrations for Salomé by Oscar Wilde (1894)
- The Peacock Skirt (1894) – Line block print
- Illustrations for Le Morte d’Arthur (1893-1894)
Role in Art History
Despite his brief life, Beardsley revolutionized illustration with his distinctive black and white style. His decadent imagery and refined technique influenced Art Nouveau design, poster art, and later counterculture graphics.
Maurice Denis (1870-1943)
Nationality: French
Art Movement(s): Symbolism, Post-Impressionism, Les Nabis
Mediums: Oil painting, murals, stained glass design
Artistic Signature
Denis created works with flat areas of secondary colors, simplified forms, and decorative patterns. His style features gentle curves, shallow pictorial space, and a deliberately childlike simplicity with religious harmony.
Recurring Themes & Motifs
His art explores Christian spirituality and domestic happiness. Recurring subjects include Madonna and child scenes, beach landscapes with family groups, and allegorical representations of Catholic faith combined with sensual appreciation of nature.
Influences & Training
Trained at the Académie Julian and École des Beaux-Arts, Denis was influenced by Gauguin’s synthetism and Medieval religious art. His study of Italian Renaissance masters informed his approach to religious subjects.
Notable Works
- The Muses (1893) – Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay
- Easter Morning or Holy Women at the Tomb (1894) – Oil on canvas, Musée d’Orsay
- September Evening (1891) – Oil on canvas, Musée Maurice Denis
Role in Art History
Denis was both practitioner and theorist of Symbolism, famously declaring, “Remember that a picture, before being a battle horse, a nude, or an anecdote, is essentially a flat surface covered with colors in a certain order.” His religious art and color theories influenced sacred art renewal and modern abstraction.
FAQ on Symbolism Artists
Who were the most influential Symbolism artists?
The most influential Symbolism artists include Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, and Gustav Klimt. Other key figures were Fernand Khnopff, Arnold Böcklin, and Edvard Munch.
The movement also included Jean Delville and Félicien Rops from Belgium, Jan Toorop from the Netherlands, and Maurice Denis from France.
When did the Symbolist movement in art begin?
Symbolism emerged in the 1880s as a reaction against naturalism and materialism in art. The 1886 publication of Jean Moréas’ Symbolist Manifesto marked its formal beginning, though the movement’s artistic roots stretch back to earlier visionary painters.
The movement flourished through the 1890s, creating dreamlike imagery that explored spiritual themes.
What techniques and mediums did Symbolist artists use?
Symbolists employed various painting mediums including oil painting, pastels, and watercolors.
Their techniques ranged from Redon’s misty atmospheric effects to Moreau’s jewel-like detail.
Many used composition to create psychological depth through stylized forms and symbolic color use.
What themes did Symbolist artists typically explore?
Symbolist artists explored mysticism, dreams, death, spirituality, and the unconscious mind.
Their work featured mythological references, religious imagery, and personal iconography.
They often depicted femmes fatales, spiritual awakening, and the conflict between matter and spirit, creating metaphorical paintings with hidden meanings and esoteric symbolism.
How did Symbolism differ from other art movements of its time?
Symbolism rejected the Impressionism focus on external reality and light in favor of internal visions and emotional representation.
Unlike Realism, Symbolists valued subjective expression over objective observation.
They emphasized spiritual art and psychological depth, creating a bridge between Romanticism and later movements like Surrealism.
What literary connections influenced Symbolist artists?
Symbolist artists were profoundly influenced by literary figures like Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, and Edgar Allan Poe.
Their work reflected themes from symbolist poetry, with visual interpretations of literary allegories.
Many artists illustrated symbolist texts, creating a dialogue between visual poetry and written works that explored dream interpretation.
How did Symbolism influence later art movements?
Symbolism’s exploration of the unconscious directly influenced Surrealism. Its emphasis on emotional expression anticipated Expressionism, while its decorative qualities informed Art Nouveau.
By prioritizing ideas over appearances, Symbolism helped establish the conceptual framework that would eventually lead to abstract art.
What role did occult and mystical beliefs play in Symbolist art?
Occult influences were central to many Symbolist artists. Figures like Jean Delville participated in Rosicrucian groups, while others explored Theosophy and esoteric traditions.
Their work often contained hermetic symbols, references to alchemy, and representations of spiritual transcendence, reflecting the era’s revival of interest in mysticism and interior spiritual landscapes.
Where can I see important Symbolist artworks today?
Major Symbolist works can be found at the Musée d’Orsay in Paris, which houses paintings by Moreau, Redon, and Puvis de Chavannes.
The Musée Gustave Moreau preserves the artist’s Paris studio.
The Royal Museums of Fine Arts in Brussels contains significant Belgian Symbolist collections, while the Neue Pinakothek in Munich displays Böcklin’s influential works.
Why did Symbolism fall out of favor in the early 20th century?
Symbolism declined as avant-garde movements like Cubism and Futurism gained prominence after 1905. World War I’s stark realities challenged Symbolism’s dreamlike aesthetic.
However, rather than disappearing, Symbolist ideas were absorbed into Surrealism and Expressionism, continuing to influence art through different visual languages throughout the 20th century.
Conclusion
Symbolism artists created a visual language that continues to resonate with contemporary viewers through their exploration of the soul’s interior landscapes.
Their rejection of the mundane in favor of enigmatic figures, otherworldly scenes, and encoded messages established a powerful artistic legacy that transcends their historical moment.
The movement’s focus on psychological depth and allegorical representation revolutionized how art could express:
- Introspective themes through fantastical scenes
- Universal symbols that speak to timeless human concerns
- Gothic elements and melancholic imagery that reveal existential questions
- Ritualistic symbols drawn from various spiritual traditions
The idealist painting approach of figures like Odilon Redon and Edvard Munch formed a crucial bridge between Romanticism and modern movements like Surrealism.
Their anti-realism stance and synesthetic approach to visual art opened new possibilities for expressing the inexpressible through imaginative painting styles that still inform contemporary artistic practice.
