The symbolists

The symbolists

The symbolists were an international group that flourished particularly in the 1890's. Like the works of the romantics, the art of the symbolists varies tremendously in both style and subject matter. Generally, symbolist painting reflects a growing demand for more spiritual, emotional, and personal approaches to art in a period dominated by realism and impressionism. Many symbolists were unhappy with the nature of capitalist urban society in the late 1800's. They objected to such social ills as poverty amid great wealth, pollution, and the shallow values they saw in the middle class. They were also unhappy with how industrial development and new technologies were altering society. Because the symbolists were displeased with the everyday world around them, they retreated inward, preferring to deal with their own personal feelings and interests.

No symbolist better expressed the anxieties felt during the late 1800's than Edvard Munch of Norway. His haunting painting The Scream portrays the inner turmoil so many people felt. The painting's composition seems to endlessly echo the isolated figure's cry of fear and loneliness.

Excerpt adapted from the "Painting" article, The World Book Encyclopedia © 1999