Translating Symbolism in Art
Translating Symbolism in Art
Originally used in 1886 by the art critic Jean Moréas to describe the poetry of Stéphane Mallarmé and Paul Verlaine, symbolism was also used by painters particularly rooted in Europe. This talk looks at symbolist artists from Europe, particularly France, such as Gustave Moreau, Paul Gauguin, Edgar Maxence and Belgium painters such as Fernand Khnopff, Jean Delville and Léon Spilliaert. We look at the visionary influence they had on important British painters including Edward Burne-Jones, Dante Gabriel Rossetti, George Frederick Watts and Aubrey Beardsley. The many ideas, devices and motifs used by these artists assist the viewer in translating the intensity of their subjects. Rejecting artistic traditions, these artists explored imaginary dream worlds, mythology, religion and literature, often involving mysterious figures and depicting unconventional subjects from unrequited desire, love, sex and death.
