Symbolism
European
cultural
movement
that
was
at
its
peak
in
the
last
two
decades
of
the
19th
century,
profoundly
affecting
the
visual
arts
and
inextricably
bound
up
with
music
and
literature.
Symbolism
was
first
identified
as
a
literary
movement
by
Jean
Moréas
(1856–1910)
in
the
Symbolist
manifesto
(‘Le
Symbolisme’,
Le
Figaro,
18
Sept
1886).
Symbolism
in
the
visual
arts
was
further
defined
by
Albert
Aurier
as
the
‘painting
of
ideas’
(‘Les
Symbolistes’,
Rev.
Enc.,
1
April
... (view more)
Symbolism
European cultural movement that was at its peak in the last two decades of the 19th century, profoundly affecting the visual arts and inextricably bound up with music and literature. Symbolism was first identified as a literary movement by Jean Moréas (1856–1910) in the Symbolist manifesto (‘Le Symbolisme’, Le Figaro, 18 Sept 1886). Symbolism in the visual arts was further defined by Albert Aurier as the ‘painting of ideas’ (‘Les Symbolistes’, Rev. Enc., 1 April 1892). Its complex aesthetic was a mix of Platonic-inspired philosophy, mystical and occult doctrines, psychology, linguistics, science, political theory and such aesthetic issues as the relationship between abstraction and representation. While many Symbolists reacted against the materialism of 19th-century science and its implications (positivist philosophy, social Darwinism, artistic Realism), others sought to reconcile modern science with spiritual traditions. Ideas based on the rise of scientific psychology with its emphasis on individual freedom and the great interest in the occult, together with such practices as hypnosis, opened up a realm of psychic experience, which promised access to important realms of knowledge. Symbolism stressed feeling and evocation over definition and fact and emphasized the power of suggestion. Stéphane Mallarmé wrote in 1891, ‘To name an object is to suppress three-fourths of the enjoyment of the poem that comes from the delight of divining little by little; to suggest it, there is the dream’ (J. Huret: ‘Enquête sur l’évolution littéraire’, Le Figaro, 1891). It was felt that empirical science left no room for the spirit; however, psychological theory and occult doctrines explained perception and cognition as symbolic processes and indicated a spiritual path to understanding. These spiritual insights were obtained via intuition, fantasy, imagination and such subjective and irrational experiences as dreams, visions, hypnotism and alchemy. The realm of the irrational was approached through a variety of means, including drugs and such popular synthetic religious and spiritualist movements as theosophy and anthroposophy and the esoteric ideas of Eliphas Lévi (1810–75). Baudelaire’s lines from his poem Correspondance (Les Fleurs du mal, 1857) illustrate the belief in the connection between nature and the soul: ‘Nature is a temple of living pillars/where often words emerge, confused and dim;/and man goes through this forest, with/familiar eyes of symbols always watching him.’ All these notions were rooted in Romanticism and were revived later in Surrealism.
(hide)
Examples of Symbolism at Auction
Artists Associated with Symbolism — 36 artists:
Auction Houses that have sold Symbolist works - 316
View list of houses
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Ader
Ader-Picard-Tajan
Ader-Tajan
AEKO BVBA Veilingen
Alderfer Auction Company
Alexander Autographs
Alpha-Art
Amberes
Anaf
Antiquariat Peter Kiefer Buch- und Kunstauktionen
Antonietti-Kaczorowski
Appay-Gairoard-Besch
Apple Tree Auction Center
Arno Winterberg
Arnold
Artcurial
Arthur James
Aspire Auctions Fine Art & Antiques
Audap Solnet Godeau
Audap Solnet Godeau Velliet
Auktionhaus
Auktionhaus Forty Seven
Auktionshaus Bernd Rieber
Auktionshaus Dr. Fischer
Auktionshaus Mag. Johann Sebök
Auktionshaus Mehlis
Auktionshaus Schlosser
Auktionskammare Soderkoping
Auktionskammare Uppsala
Auktionsverket
Bakker / Boccelli
Barridoff Galleries
Bassenge
Beaussant-Lefevre
Beijers Auktioner
Binoche
Binoche-Godeau
Blache
Blomqvist
Bloomsbury Book Auction
Boisgirard
Bolaffi
Bolland-Marotz
Bondu
Bonhams
Bonhams & Butterfields
Boscher-Oriot
Boscher-Studer-Fromentin
Briest
Brissonneau
Brunk Auctions
Bruun Rasmussen
Bubb Kuyper
Bukowski
Burchard Galleries Inc
Calmels
Campo & Campo
Campo Vlaamse Kaai
Chambelland-Giafferi-Veyrac
Champin-Lombrail-Gautier
Charlton Hall
Charterhouse
Chayette-Clamels
Chochon, Chochon, Barre & Allardi
Christie's
Clarke Gammon Wellers
Clars Auction Gallery
Commissaires-Priseurs de Montpellier
Cornette de Saint-Cyr
Courchet-Palloc
Couturier-de Nicolay
Couturier-de Nicolay-Daussy-Ricqles
d'Anjou
D.M. Nesbit & Co.
Damien Leclere
Dannenberg
Dargate Auction Galleries
Daussy-de Ricqles
Dawo
Dawson and Nye
de Cagny
de Quay
de Quay-Lombrail
de Vregille
de Vuyst
Deauville Auction, Le Houelleur
Delorme
Delorme-Fraysse
Delvaux
Denesle
Depew Auction
Deurbergue
Deurbergue-Delvaux
Deutscher Menzies
Dobiaschofsky
Dockree's
Dominic Winter Book Auctions
Dorling
Dorotheum
Douillard-Sanson
Doyle New York
Dreweatt Neate
DuMouchelles
Dumousset-Deburaux
Dumousset-Deburaux - Lenormand-Daye
Dupuy
Dutel
Eldred's
Elkaim
Est-Ouest Auctions Co.,Ltd
Eva Aldag Kunst & Auktionshaus
Ewbank
Falk & Falk Auktionen
Falkkloos
Farsetti
Feletin
Ferri
Finarte
FischerAuktionen
Fournier
Frank Boos
Frank R Marshall and Co
Freeman's
French Auctioneer
Fritz Rudolf Kuenker GmbH & Co. KG
Gabus
Galateau
Galerie Kornfeld und Cie.
Galerie Moderne
Gallery 68 Auctions
Garth's Auction Inc.
Gene Shapiro Auctions LLC
Germain
Germann
Gioffredo
Glerum
Gorringes
Grand Sablon
Granger
Granier
Granny's Auction House
Great Western Auctions
Grogan & Company
Gros-Delettrez
Guerin
Guerpillon-Bergeron
Guy Loudmer
Habsburg-Feldman
Hagelstam
Halifax [Sandwich]
Hanzel Galleries
Hargesheimer & Günther
Hartung-Hartung
Hatain
Hauswedell-Nolte
Henry's Auktionen
Heritage Auction Galleries
Hermann Historica
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Hessinks Veilingen BV
Holloway's
Holz
Hondius Auctions
Horhammer
Horta
Hotel des Encans
Hotel des Ventes Mosan
Hugo Ruef
Ionesco
Ivey-Selkirk Auctioneers
Jackson's
James Julia
Japhet
Jean Louis Picard
John Moran Auctioneers, Inc.
Jörg Weigelt
Jutheau
Kaminski Auctions
Karl-Faber
Karrenbauer
Ketterer
Keys
Koller
Konig
Kunstauktionshaus Leipzig
Kunstauktionshaus Schloss Ahlden
Kunsthallen
Labat-Thierry
Laurin Guilloux Buffetaud Tailleur
Lawrences
Le Mouel-Chouffot
Lelievre
Lempertz
Lenormand-Dayen
Leslie Hindman Auctioneers
Libert-Castor
Lilla AB
Litchfield Auction Gallery
Litchfield County Auctions Inc
Loiseau-Schmitz
Lombrail-Teucquam
Loth Gijselman
M.Klein Estate Auctions, LLC
MacDougall's Auctions
Machoir-Bailly
Mallams
Mallet Japan
Marc Kohn
Martin du Nord - De Bouvet
Martone Auction Gallery
Michaan's Auctions
Michael Bode
Michael Zeller
Millon & Associes
Millon-Jutheau
Millon-Robert
Monsantic
Morelle
Morelle-Marchandet
Mystic Fine Arts
Nagel Auktionen
Neal Auction Company
Neales
Nellemann-Thomsen
Neret-Minet-Coutau-Begarie
Neumeister
New Orleans
Nigel Ward & Co
Norden
Northeast Auctions
Nova
Oger-Dumont
Olivier
Palais des Beaux-Arts
Paul Kieffer
Pescheteau & cie
Philip Weiss Auctions
Philippe Schule
Phillips
Phillips de Pury & Company
Piasa
Pierre Berge & Associes
Pillon
Plymouth Auction Rooms
Pook and Pook
Poster Auctions International, Inc
Poulain-Le Fur
Quay Lombrail
Rabourdin-Choppin De Janvry
Rachel Davis Fine Arts
Rago Arts and Auction Center
Ramsay Cornish Auctioneers and Valuers
Renard
Ribeyre-Baron
Rieunier-Bailly-Pommery
Rieunier-Bailly-Pommery-Mathias
Robin
Rose Hill Auction Gallery
Rosebery's
Rossini Maison de Ventes aux Enchères
Rouillac
Savot
Scarborough Fine Arts
Schmidt Kunstauktionen Dresden
Schopman
Segeron-Jolivet
Selkirks
SGL Enchères
Shannon's
Shapes Auctioneers & Valuers
Sigalas
Simonson
Skinner
Sloan's Auction Galleries, Ltd.
Sloans and Kenyon
Sotheby's
South Bay Auctions Inc
Stahl
Stair
Stamford
Stephan Welz
Stockholms Auktionsverket
Stride & Son
Stuart Holman
Susanins
Swann Galleries
Sworders Fine Art Auctioneers
Tajan
Tajan-Blondeau-Lavail
The Potomack Company
Thierry
Thierry-Lannon
Thierry-Martin-Lannon
Thion
Thomaston Place
Tiroche Auction House
Tore Ulving Auksjoner
Treadway Toomey
Valentin
Van Ham
Van Sabben Auctions
Van Stockums Veilingen BV
Vanderkindere
Venator & Hanstein
Venduehuis Dickhaut Maastricht
Verola
Villa Grisebach
Von Zezschwitz Kunst und Design
Waddington's
Watine-Arnault
Wellers Auctioneers
Weschler's
WH Lane & Son
William J Jenack Auctioneers
Winter Associates
Wright
Young Fine Arts Auctions
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