Symbolism is an artistic movement that emerged in the 19th century and its main characteristics were subjectivism, spiritualism, religiosity and mysticism.
By the time it developed, capitalism and industrialization were consolidating on the world stage, and several scientific discoveries conveyed the idea of the evolution of civilization.
However, this ended up creating many social problems, such as increasing inequalities, which led artists to deny the idea of progress.
This artistic current, which manifested itself in literature and painting, approached the romantic ideals of subjectivism, idealism and individualism. Thus, objectivity was put aside to make way for a new, more subjective, individual, pessimistic and illogical approach.
If on the one hand it presented a connection with romanticism, on the other hand symbolism rejected the ideas of the previous movements of realism, Parnassianism and naturalism.
He moved away from the aesthetic rigor and formal balance of the Parnassian movement, seeking to distance himself from extreme materialism and reason. In this way, he explored more spiritual themes representing reality in a different and more idealized way.
There was great interest in the deeper areas of the human mind, such as the unconscious and subconscious universe, showing a more personal, emotional and mysterious art.
Historical context of symbolism
The Symbolist movement emerged in the last decades of the 19th century in France, at a time when the European continent was witnessing the rise of the industrial bourgeoisie. Capitalism was strengthened with the II Industrial Revolution, allowing the industrialization of several countries.
This industrial process was leveraged by the unification of Germany, in 1870, and Italy, the following year. On the other hand, this capitalist progress generated great social inequality, leading to the dissatisfaction of the poorest workers.
At this stage, many innovations in the scientific field led to the idea of progress, such as, for example, the use of electricity, chemical products and petroleum for the production of fuel.
There is, therefore, the dispute of the great powers (such as England, Germany and Russia) for the diversification of markets, consumers and raw materials.
It is also the moment of neocolonialism that fragments Africa and Asia, due to the imperialism of some industrialized European countries, considered the great world powers.
Finally, all these factors will trigger the First World War (1914-1918) at the beginning of the 20th century:
- the progress of capitalism;
- the increase in social inequalities;
- the dispute over the economic and political interests of some European powers;
- imperialism and neocolonialism leveraged by industrialization.
Given this panorama, the Symbolist movement emerges to challenge this scenario, opposing the materialist, scientific and rationalist currents that prevailed, denying objective reality.
In addition, it comes to support the layer of society that is on the sidelines of the process of technological and scientific advancement promoted by capitalism.
The characteristics of symbolism
1. opposition to objective reality
The themes addressed by symbolist artists such as death, the pain of existing, madness and pessimism are subjective, moving away from objective reality and issues related to social sphere.
The projection is one of frustration, fear and disillusionment, and symbolism appears as a way of denying objective reality. Thus, spiritualist ideals are reborn.
2. Transcendence, mysticism and spirituality
Symbolist art seeks to transcend reality through mysticism and spirituality, while trying to find answers to anguish and pain in the deepest areas of the soul.
These factors are directly related to the historical context in which this artistic current is inserted, as this moment is marked by a spiritual crisis. This leads artists to feel and analyze the world, things and beings in a different way.
3. presence of religiosity
Although several themes in Symbolist art are related to a darker and more mysterious universe, it is possible to identify in some works a Christian vision combined with the desire to escape from reality.
Marked by man's search for the sacred and a feeling of totality, Symbolist literature makes poetry a kind of religion. Thus, many Symbolist writers use words from the liturgical vocabulary that reinforce this characteristic, such as: altar, archangel, cathedral, incense, psalm, chant.
4. Valuing the "I" and the human psyche
Contrary to objectivism, in the Symbolist movement the “I” is valued and truth is found through human consciousness.
In this way, there is a great interest in the deeper areas of the mind, such as the unconscious and the subconscious.
5. Vague, imprecise and suggestive language
Symbolism presents a very particular language, shrouded in mystery and with great expressiveness and musicality. These attributes provide the works with the immaterial and psychic ideals characteristic of the movement.
Thus Symbolist language is suggestive, as it suggests something rather than naming it, or explaining it objectively.
6. Excessive use of speech figures
In Symbolist works, there is a strong presence of figures of speech, as poetic senses, sonorities and sensations are more important than the real meaning of words.
The most used figures are: metaphors and comparisons (which focus on the poetic sense); alliterations, assonances and onomatopoeias (which promote sonority); and synesthesias (which suggest a mixture of distinct sensory fields).
7. Preference for sonnets
Although it manifested itself in prose, it was in poetry that symbolism achieved great recognition.
Subjective and lyrical in character, Symbolist writers preferred to express their existential dramas through sonnets, a fixed poetic form composed of two quartets and two triplets.
8. Resumption of romantic elements
Symbolism takes up some romantic elements, aiming to go beyond the tangible aspect of things. We can cite subjectivism, irrationality, a taste for mystery and nocturnal environments.
Thus, the themes explored by both movements come together, such as the pain of living, human anguish, existential dramas, deep sadness and dissatisfaction.
9. Valorization of symbology, as opposed to scientism
Symbolist art opposes scientism, raising the question of the validity of science in explaining the phenomena of nature.
Symbolist artists believe that science is limiting, calling into question its absolute capacity. In this way, ideas are presented in a symbolic way, which is believed to be the true meaning of everything.
10. Opposition to mechanism and the approximation of the dream universe
The Symbolist movement becomes the rejection of mechanicism, through the dream, the cosmic tendency and the absolute.
Allied to the inner probe of the mind, humanist artists sought explanations through dreams, where the oneiric universe (relating to dreams) was part of subjective reality and contemplative states.
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Symbolism in Brazil
Symbolism in Brazil began in 1893 with the publication of works by Cruz e Sousa: Missal (prose) and Buckles (poetry). This movement continued until 1910, when Pre-Modernism began.
The moment is one of political turmoil, as, with the Proclamation of the Republic in 1889, the country was going through a moment of transition. There is, thus, a transformation in the political scene, with the transition from the monarchic regime to the republican regime.
With the establishment of the Republic of the Sword in 1889, some conflicts arose due to the political crisis and power dispute.
Thus, there was the Federalist Revolution (1893-1895), which took place in the southern states of the country, and the Revolta da Armada (1891-1894), which took place in Rio de Janeiro.
Thus, in the midst of this context of insecurity and dissatisfaction, the Symbolist movement emerges.
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Major Brazilian Symbolist Poets and Their Works
In addition to the forerunner of the movement, Cruz e Sousa, Alphonsus de Guimaraens and Pedro Kilkerry deserve attention in Brazilian Symbolist poetry.
João da Cruz e Sousa (1861-1898), born in Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, was the most important Symbolist poet. Son of slaves, he had a comfortable life among an aristocratic family that helped him with his studies.
Despite having written several poetic texts, he published only two works in his lifetime: Buckles (1893) and Missal (1893). Missal is a work that contains poems written in prose, while Buckles presents 54 poems, of which 47 are sonnets.
Posthumously others of his writings were published: Evocations (1898), headlights (1900) and Latest Sonnets (1905).
Victim of racial prejudice, the writer fought for the black cause. His work is very diverse and brings together themes such as: obsession with the white color, pain, death and pessimism.
See below one of his poems, published in his poetic work Buckles (1893).
Acrobat of pain
Laughs, laughs, in a stormy laugh,
like a clown, how clumsy,
nervous, laugh, in an absurd, inflated laugh
of an irony and a violent pain.From the atrocious, bloody laughter,
shakes the bells, and convulsed
jump, gavroche, jump clown, pierced
by the throes of this slow agony...An encore is requested and an encore is not despised!
Let's go! tense the muscles, tense
in those macabre pirouettes of steel...And although you fall to the ground, trembling,
drowned in your stout and hot blood,
laugh! Heart, most sad clown.
Alphonsus de Guimaraens (1870-1921), born in Ouro Preto, Minas Gerais, was one of the great poets of the Symbolist movement, presenting a religious work of a mystical, spiritual and sentimental character.
The most present themes in his poetic work are: the pain of love, the longing for the beloved and death. That's because his great love of life, his cousin Constanca, died very young.
From his work, the following stand out: Septenary of the Sorrows of Our Lady (1899), Mystic Mistress (1899), Kyriale (1902), pauvre lyre (1921) and Pastoral to the Believers of Love and Death (1923).
Check out one of his most emblematic poems below, published in the book Pastoral to the Believers of Love and Death, in 1923.
Ismalia
When Ismalia went crazy,
She stood in the tower dreaming...
She saw a moon in the sky,
She saw another moon at sea.In the dream she got lost in,
She was all bathed in moonlight...
She wanted to go up to heaven,
She wanted to go down to the sea...And, in her madness,
In the tower she began to sing…
She was close to heaven,
She was far from the sea...And like an angel hung
The wings to fly…
She wanted the moon in the sky,
I wanted the moon from the sea...the wings that God gave you
They roared from pair to pair…
His soul rose to heaven,
Her body went down to the sea...
Pedro Kilkerry (1885-1917) was a journalist and in addition to publishing several chronicles and articles in newspapers, he dedicated himself to Symbolist poetry. He was considered one of the great poets of the movement, recently discovered by critics.
During his lifetime, Kilkerry did not publish any works, however, his writings were collected posthumously. With a diverse poetry, he explores several themes related to religiosity, mysticism, dreams and love.
Check out one of his poems below, written in 1907 and published in the work Kilkerry Review, by Augusto de Campos.
under the branches
It's in Estio. The soul, here, sounds to me,
On my horse — under the blond dust
That the sun rains — and it's gone for me all my life
On my horse, down the road.There! this one when I write you high hose
Under the green canopy we live.
And when the night comes, the bonfire is lit
Who has turned bonfire ash now.Pass my life through the countryside... Is life
I carry her singing, birds in my breast,
What if it took them to my youth...Every illusion blooms reborn;
Flora, reborn to the first yearning
Of your love... on the wings of Saudade!
Learn more about Authors of Brazilian Symbolism.
Symbolism in Portugal
Symbolism in Portugal comprised the period between 1890 and 1915, when modernism began.
In the country, this movement emerged in the midst of the crisis of the monarchy and was inaugurated in 1890 with the publication of the work oarists, by the writer Eugênio de Castro.
oarists is a collection of poems that was written after its author's return from France, where he had contact with Symbolist poets, whose movement already influenced Portuguese literature.
Learn more about Symbolism in Portugal.
Main Portuguese Symbolist poets and their works
In addition to Eugênio de Castro, the symbolist Portuguese poets stand out: Antônio Nobre and Camilo Pessanha.
Eugênio de Castro (1869-1944), born in Coimbra, Portugal, graduated in Letters, being a precursor of the Symbolist movement in Portugal.
His work is divided into two phases: symbolist and neoclassicist. In the first phase, his writings reveal his approach to the themes and musicality of symbolism. In the second phase, his works take up aspects of classical literature.
From his poetic work, the books stand out: oarists (1890), hours (1891), Interlude (1894), Salome and Other Poems (1896) and miss heaven (1899).
A dream (excerpt from poem)
In the mess, which goes crazy, the fete trembles...
The sun, celestial sunflower, fades...
And the singsongs of serene soothing sounds
They escape fluidly, flowing the fine flower of the hays...the stars in their halos
They shine with sinister sparkles...
Cornamuses and crotalos,
Cytolas, zithers, sistros,
They sound soft, sleepy,
Sleepy and soft,
In Milds,
Soft, slow wails
of accents
serious
Soft...Flower! while in the mess the fete shudders
And the sun, the celestial sunflower, fades,
Let's make these sounds so serene and pleasant,
Let's run away, Flower! to the flower of these flowering hays...
António Nobre (1867-1900), born in Porto, Portugal, was a Symbolist poet who graduated in Law in the city of Paris. There, he published, in 1892, his most remarkable work in the Symbolist movement: Only. This book brings together several poems that explore themes such as longing and deep sadness.
Others of his writings were published posthumously, such as: farewells (1902), first verses (1921) and foundations (1983)
A vida (excerpt from the poem published in the work Only)
The big autumnal eyes! mystical lights!
Sadder than Love, solemn as the crosses!
O black eyes! black eyes! color eyes
From the cover of Hamlet, from the gangrenes of the Lord!
O eyes black as nights, like wells!
O fountains of moonlight, in a body all bones!
O pure as Heaven! oh sad how do you take
Outlaws!O Dark Wednesday!
Your light is greater than that of three Full Moons
It is you who illuminate the Prisoners, in the chains,
O candles of Pardon! lamps of Doom!
O great autumnal eyes, full of Grace!
Eyes lit like novena altars!
Eyes of genius, where the Bard wets the feather!
O coals that light the fire of old ladies,
Fire of those who are laying the lines in the Sea …
The beacon of the bar guiding the Navigators!
O fireflies lighting the walkers,
More those who go on the stagecoach through the mountains!
O Final Extreme Unction of those who depart from Earth!
Camilo Pessanha (1867-1926), born in Coimbra, Portugal, was the author who best matched the characteristics of the Symbolist movement, and is currently considered the main expression of the movement.
In his work, he uses several figures of speech characteristic of the movement, in addition to presenting poetry full of symbologies and with strong musicality. The most explored themes are related to pessimism, pain, sadness and death.
Clepsydra it is his only book of poems that was published in 1920. The rest of his writings were published posthumously.
Path (poem published in the work Clepsydra)
I have cruel dreams; in a sick soul
I feel a vague premature fear.
I'm going to fear on the edge of the future,
Drenched in longing for the present...I miss this pain that I seek in vain
From the chest chase away very rudely,
When fainting over the sunset,
Cover my heart with a dark veil...Because the pain, this lack of harmony,
All the disheveled light that shines
The souls madly, the sky now,Without it the heart is almost nothing:
A sun where dawn expired,
Because it's only dawn when you cry.
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Symbolism in Europe
The Symbolist movement had its origins in France in the mid-19th century, and in literature it began in 1857 with the publication of the work the evil flowers, of the French poet Charles Baudelaire.
At the time, this book was censored for containing poetry with erotic, sensual and dark themes. See below a sonnet by Charles Baudelaire in his book flowers of evil:
Correspondence
Nature is a living temple in which the pillars
They often allow unusual plots to filter out;
The man crosses it in the middle of a grove of secrets
That there stalk you with their familiar eyes.Like long echoes that fade in the distance
In a dizzying and dismal unity,
As vast as night and as light,
Sounds, colors and perfumes harmonize.There are fresh aromas like infant meat,
Sweet like the oboe, green like the meadow,
And others, already dissolute, rich and triumphant,With the fluidity of what never ends,
Like musk, incense and resins from the Orient,
May glory exalt the senses and the mind.
However, it was only in 1886 that the term “symbolism” was first used by the Greek poet Jean Moréas (1856-1910). he wrote the Symbolist Manifesto exposing the principles of an art more concerned with spirituality and sensations.
On that occasion, Moreas identified the three great artists of French Symbolist literature: Charles Baudelaire (1821-1867), Stéphane Mallarmé (1842-1898) and Paul Verlaine (1844-1896).
In addition to France, other European countries stood out in the symbolist movement such as Spain, Italy, England, Germany and Russia.
Thus, in addition to the most notable French Symbolist poets (Charles Baudelaire, Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud), we can mention the Russian poets Viatcheslav Ivánov (1866-1949), Andreï Biély (1880-1934) and Aleksandr Blok (1880-1921).
understand more about Symbolist language.
Symbolism in the fine arts
Although symbolism began as a literary movement, it also flourished in the fine arts, particularly in painting.
Symbolist painting was directly influenced by the poetry of French poets Stéphane Mallarmé, Paul Verlaine and Arthur Rimbaud, being also an art in opposition to realism.
In this way, painters approached dark, dreamlike and spiritual themes in their works, using cooler and darker colors.
Some French painters who had great prominence were: Gustave Moreau (1826-1898) and Odilon Redon (1840-1916). Besides them, it is worth mentioning the works of the German Carlos Schwabe (1866-1926). Check out some of his screens below:
Test your knowledge of the Symbolist movement with the Questions about Symbolism.
