SYMBOLISM

Symbolism is an art movement that began in 1885. This was both a continuation of the Romantic tradition and a reaction to the realistic approach of impressionism. The symbolist painters used mythological and dream imagery. The symbols used by symbolism are not the familiar emblems or icons but intensely personal, private, obscure and ambiguous references. More a philosophy than an actual style of art, symbolism in painting influenced the contemporary Art Nouveaustyle and Les Nabis. Symbolists believe that art should express the truth which can only be accessed indirectly in a symbolic way.
 Edvard Munch The Scream (1893)





*http://www.huntfor.com/arthistory/c19th/symbolism.htm
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Symbolism_(arts)
*http://www.arthistoryguide.com/symbolism.aspx