SYMBOLISM

(1880-1910)
BALCUEVA, IRENE GRACE M.
 SYMBOLISM
Symbolism is a 19th century artistic movement
popularized by famous artists like: Gustave Moreau, Arnold
Bocklin, Ferdinand Hodler, Max Klinger, Paul Gauguin,
James Ensor, Edvard Munch, Odilon Redon, and Puvis de
Chavannes. It is a reaction to realism and an extension to
romanticism. Symbolist painters don’t want to be restricted
by reality or painting what’s in front of them. They
transform fact into a symbol, blending fact and fiction;
reality and mythology.
 Symbolists enjoy images or objects to
signify something else and to express
ideas about truth in reality. They use
creative and emotional symbols to
encourage reflection about life and
spirituality.
MOST FAMOUS SYMBOLIST:

Gustav Klimt was an Austrian

symbolist painter and one of the most
prominent members of the Vienna
Secession movement. Klimt is noted for
his paintings, murals, sketches, and
other objets d'art. Klimt's primary
subject was the female body, and his
works are marked by a frank eroticism.
THE KISS (1907-1908)
• The Kiss is Klimt's most popular work and visitors flock annually to
see it in Vienna's Austrian Gallery. At a remarkable 72in x 72in (180cm
x 180cm), its powerful presence resounds from the wall as the life-
size figures, wrapped in gold, embrace.
• Both figures are fully realized and symbolically blended as they face
the golden abyss of perfection. The dominant male force is signified
by the powerful coat of masculine black and gray blocks, softened by
the feminine organic scrolling, reminiscent of "Tree of Life." In
comparison, female energy is shown as spinning circles of bright floral
motifs and upward-flowing wavy lines.