Symbolism and Art Nouveau

Many artists in the late 19th century broke from naturalistic representation and sought visual equivalents to poetry and music.

c. 1880 - 1910

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Gustave Moreau, <em>Jupiter and Semele</em>
Gustave Moreau, Jupiter and Semele

Moreau paints with brilliant jewel-like colors, and everywhere we look the figures seem filled with Melancholy.

Broncia Koller, <em>Sitting (Seated Nude Marietta)</em>
Broncia Koller, Sitting (Seated Nude Marietta)

By the early 1930s, Broncia Koller’s career was lost to art history, despite her extraordinary artistic talent and insight.

Antoni Gaudí, Park Güell
Antoni Gaudí, Park Güell

If visitors know one thing about Barcelona before boarding a plane, it is the surname of the city’s most celebrated architect, Antoni Gaudí

Gustave Moreau, <em>Salome</em>
Gustave Moreau, Salome

Learn more about this symbolist painter's enigmatic depictions of one of his favorite subjects—Salome.

James Ensor, <em>Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889</em>
James Ensor, Christ’s Entry into Brussels in 1889

The painting mocks humanity, as well as human beliefs and institutions, both civic and religious.

The Nabis and Decorative Art
The Nabis and Decorative Art

Through their many forms of artistic production the Nabis expanded art into all areas of life.

Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau

Art Nouveau artists and designers created a completely new style of decoration.

The Nabis and Symbolism
The Nabis and Symbolism

Symbolist artists embraced the spiritual significance of art while rejecting science and objectivity.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, Vase
Louis Comfort Tiffany, Vase

Inspired by the sheen of ancient Roman and Syrian glass, Tiffany created startling, modern objects.

Louis Comfort Tiffany, <em>Hair Ornament</em>
Louis Comfort Tiffany, Hair Ornament

Only three inches high, Tiffany captures an ephemeral moment in nature with the most sumptuous materials.

Léon Bakst, “Costume design for the ballet The Firebird”
Léon Bakst, “Costume design for the ballet The Firebird”

Bakst loved this character from Russian folklore, and made a drawing influenced by Cubism and Parisian aesthetics.

Edvard Munch, <em>The Storm</em>
Edvard Munch, The Storm

The anxiety felt by the women waiting for husbands sailing on a stormy sea is almost tangible in Munch’s picture.

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