Karren T.

Reyes BSP1A

Symbolism

Symbolism is the expression of an idea over the realistic description of the natural world.
It is an aesthetic, describing it as the subjective vision of an artist expressed through a simplified
and non-naturalistic style (Aurier, 1891). In this art, scenes from nature, human activities, and all
other real world phenomena will not be described for their own sake; here, they are perceptible
surfaces created to represent their esoteric affinities with the primordial Ideals (Moreas, 1886).
Symbolism is the rejection of naturalism and narrative in favor of the subjective representation
of an idea or emotion.

The Angel of Life (1895)

Giovanni Segantini

“The emotional and mysterious intimacy of the scene comes from dialectic opposites, of
Caravaggesque origin, between the indirect, artificial light coming from the lantern that hangs
from the ceiling and the darkness of the barn. The two mothers (human and animal) are put
together with a dual meaning, humble and everyday as well as spiritual and symbolic.”