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Symbolism Symbolism originated in France, and was part of a 19th-century movement in which art became infused with mysticism. French Symbolism was both a continuation of the Romantic tradition and a reaction to the realistic approach of impressionism. It served as a catalyst in the outgrowth of the darker sides of Romanticism and toward abstraction. The term Symbolism means the systematic use of symbols or pictorial conventions to express an allegorical meaning. Symbolism is an important element of most religious arts and reading symbols plays a main role in psychoanalysis. Thus, the Symbolist painters used these symbols from mythology and dream imagery for a visual language of the soul. Not so much a style of art, Symbolism was more an international ideological trend. Symbolists believed that art should apprehend more absolute truths which could only be accessed indirectly. Thus, they painted scenes from nature, human activities, and all other real world phenomena in a highly metaphorical and suggestive manner. Edvard Munch.The Scream. 1893 Oil, tempera and pastel on cardboard, 91 x 73.5 cm. National Gallery, Oslo

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Gustave Moreau. Jason. 1865. Oil on canvas, 6' 8 1/4" x 3' 9 1/2" (204 x 115.5 cm). Musee d'Orsay, Paris Gustave Moreau (1826-1898)

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Gustave Moreau. The Apparition. c. 1874-76. Oil on canvas, 142 x 103 cm. Musee Gustave Moreau, Paris

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Odilon Redon. The Red Sphinx c. 1912 Oil on canvas, 61 x 49.5 cm. Private collection Odilon Redon (1840-1916)

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Odilon Redon. The Cyclops. c. 1914. Oil on canvas, 64 x 51 cm. Museum Kroller-Mueller, Otterlo, The Netherlands

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Henri Rousseau. Exotic Landscape. 1908. Oil on canvas, 116 x 89 cm. Private collection

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Henri Rousseau. The Dream. 1910 Oil on canvas, 6' 8 1/2" x 9' 9 1/2. The Museum of Modern Art, New York

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Max Klinger. The Abduction (from A Glove), 1881 (1924 edition) Etchings with aquatint, 118mm x 269mm. Spencer Museum of Art, University of Kansas Max Klinger (1857-1920) German Symbolist artist best known for his enigmatic portfolio Paraphrases About the Finding of a Glove (1881).

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James Ensor. Christs Entry into Brussels in 1889.1888. Oil on canvas, 99 1/2 x 169 1/2 in. J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles James Ensor (1860-1949)

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James Ensor. The Great Judge. 1898.

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Edvard Munch. The Storm. 1893 Oil on canvas, 36 x 51 1/2 in. (91.5 x 131 cm). Museum of Modern Art, New York Edvard Munch (1863-1944)

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Edvard Munch. Puberty. 1895. Oil on canvas, 59 5/8 x 43 1/4 in. National Gallery, Oslo

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Edvard Munch. Jealousy. 1895. Oil on canvas, 67 x 100 cm (26 x 39 in.). The Munch Museum, Oslo

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Gustav Klimt. The Kiss. 1907-08 Oil and gold on canvas, 180 x 180 cm. Osterreichische Galerie, Vienna Gustav Klimt (1862-1918)

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Gustav Klimt. Death and Life. 1916. Oil on canvas, 178 x 198 cm. Private collection, Vienna

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Auguste Rodin. The Thinker. 1879- 1887. Bronze, 68.6 x 89.4 x 50.8 cm. Muse Rodin, Paris Auguste Rodin (1840-1917) The Symbolist desire to penetrate and portray the innermost essence of being had a parallel in the sculptures of Rodin. The most influential sculptor of the late 19 th century, Rodin laid the foundation for 20 th century sculpture.

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Auguste Rodin. The Call to Arms. 1879. Bronze, 44 1/2 x 22 3/4 x 15/15/16. Legion of Honor, San Francisco

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Auguste Rodin. The Three Shades. Ca. 1898. Bronze, 75 1/2 x 73 1/2 x 41 1/2. Legion of Honor, San Francisco