Symbolism is a kind of direction in art, which appeared in the middle of the century before last in France. This art form quickly gained the widest popularity and continued its active development until the twentieth century.
Symbolism is one of the most important elements of world art. Although it appeared only in the nineteenth century, its elements can be quite noticed since ancient times. For example, the symbols of Christianity are imbued with Gothic medieval painting and murals. In the mystical, ghostly paintings that artists painted in the era of romanticism, one can see numerous elements of symbolism.
However, this trend in art was most developed as early as the nineteenth century as a counterweight to realism and impressionism. In this direction, a negative attitude towards the developing bourgeoisie was openly expressed. Symbolism is an expression of longing for spiritual freedom, a subtle presentiment of historical and social changes throughout the world and humanity.
The term “symbolism” itself was first published in Le Figaro, a fairly popular print periodical, in 1886, on September 18. The main ideas of this trend were described in literature by the famous French poet Charles Baudelaire. He believed that only symbols can fully express the subtle state of mind of a poet or artist.
The philosophical and aesthetic foundations of symbolism began to develop almost simultaneously simultaneously in many Western European countries. The main representatives of symbolism are S. Mallarmé, P. Verdun, A. Rimbaud, P. Valerie in France; M. Meterlink, E. Verharn in Belgium; G. Haupman in Germany; R. Rilke in Austria; Oscar Wilde in the UK; G. Ibsen and K. Gamsun in Norway. You could even say that the symbolism of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries is completely dependent on literature.
Symbolism is to some extent an echo of romanticism. The aesthetics of both of these currents are very similar and related. A symbol is an object of insight generated by a poet. He expressed the secret meaning of things, revealed the secrets of being, painted the otherworldly, mystical, esoteric meaning of phenomena, hidden from ordinary people. The symbols painted by the artist were considered truly prophetic, and the artist himself was a creator, a seer who could see certain hidden signs of fate in events and phenomena.
Symbolism in art was turned to the spiritual sphere, to the interaction of man’s inner world, his personality and individuality, with the external world. According to the concept of symbolism, the real world exists outside our visible world, and it can only partially be reflected in it. It is art that acts as a kind of intermediary between these worlds, is a means of transformation and interpretation of the spiritual side of life.
Symbolism firmly entered the literature, painting and architecture of many countries, influencing in a significant way the world art. The Symbolists laid the foundation for surrealism with their desire for innovation, cosmopolitanism and numerous experiments.