Post-Impressionism

Symbolist art-movements

Visualising the invisible

Introduction:
On this page we will look at (French) art-movements that emerged shortly after the last ‘impressionist’ exposition in 1886. It started in the summer of 1886 when Gauguin met in Pont-Aven with Émile Bernard, Charles Laval and others. Sometimes they are referred to as the Pont-Aven school, sometimes to Cloisonnism, sometimes to Synthetism and sometimes to Symbolism. Inspired by them in 1888 a group of artists called themselves Les Nabis. We will see that there are many similarities, but we will also try to discern them and also refer to seperate pages.
At the bottom of this page you will also find some info on Symbolist exhibitions and publications.

School of Pont-Aven:
Pont-Aven is a small village in Brittany. Many painters dwelled there since 1873. Gauguin visited it frequently from 1886-89 and became the leader of the School of Pont-Aven (see seperate page).

Cloisonnism: 
Cloissonism is a decorative form of painting, a symbolic concept of art. Characteristic for it’s style is the use of compartmented areas of flat, violent colour with a clear outline. Louis Anquetin and Bernard initiated this style in 1887. (See seperate page.)

Synthetism:
Art-historian agree that Synthetism developed in the mutual inspiration between Paul Gauguin and Émile Bernard in the late summer of 1888 in Pont-Aven. They absorbed the principles of Cloisonnism. The problem is that afterwards the terms Synthetism and Symbolism are intertwined.

Les Nabis:
Les Nabis, meaning ‘prophets’, were a group of artists, who had become friends during their study at Académie Julian. The group was inspired by Cloisonism and Synthetism. They produced symbolic and decorative art. The group was formed in 1888 and disintegrated around 1900. Sérusier and Denis were important members.

 

Symbolism in France:
The name Symbolism was emerged by Moréas in 1886/09/18 in his ‘Un manifeste littérataire – Le Symbolisme’ (R298,p21;R470,p31). The name is also used for a movement within the literature, with writers as Bergsons, André Gide, Joris-Karl Huysmans, Fancis Jammes, Mallarmé, Rimbaud, Paul Valéry and Verlaine. It is opposed to Positivism, Materialism and Naturalism and it evokes the revival of Romantic ideas (R3,p699;R181II,p463). Some date Symbolism from 1866-1914 others from 1880-1900, which are clearly the peak years. Symbolist artists exhibited namely at the Salon-de-la-Rose+Croix (1892-97) (R57;iR1) and the expositions Impressionnistes et Symbolistes (1891-98). Some of them (Aman-Jean, Gauguin, Munch, Redon, Rops and Whistler) joined at the Tuesday soirées of Mallarmé (R298,p22;R297). Symbolism later inspired Art-Nouveau (or Jugendstil) and Surrealism.

 

Symbolism as a broader, European movement:
Symbolism is a broad art-movement, which also consisted of development in literature and painting art outside France.
As early forerunners are seen Johann Heinrich Füssli (1741-1825), Francisco Goya (1746-1828), William Blake (1757-1827), and later (in France) Gustave Moreau (1826-98), Puvis de Chavannes (1824-98) and Odilon Redon (1840-1916). Important French representatives were Les Nabis.
Representatives in England were: The Pre-Raphaelites, namely Edward Burne-Jones (1833-98); William Holman Hunt (1827-1910); John Everett Millais (1829-96); Dante Gabriel Rossetti (1828-82), Aubrey Vincent Beardsley (1872-98).
In Belgium: Fernand Khnopff (1858-1921), James Ensor (1860-1949), Jean Delville (1867-1953), William Degouve de Nuncques (1867-1935), Felicien Rops (1833-98).
In Germany: Max Klinger (1857-1920), Franz von Stuck (1863-1928).
In Holland: Jan Toorop (1858-1928), Johan Thorn-Prikker (1868-1932).
In the Swiss Arnold Böcklin (1827-1901), Ferdinand Hodler (1853-1918), Carlos Schwabe (1866-1926).
Some also include Henri Fantin-Latour (1836-1904), Gustave Klimt (1862-1918), Charles Renie McKintosh (1868-1928), Alphonse Mucha (1860-1939), Edvard Munch (1863-1944), Frantisik Kupka (1871-1957), Henri Rousseau (Le Douanier; 1844-1910) and James Abbott McNeill Whistler (1834-1903).

Symbolist theory and themes:
Central in Symbolism is not one painting style but the idea to render the transcedent world by Symbols; to render the essence of things which is beyond reality; to visualise the transcedent. They rendered a wonderful, allusive atmosphere, and also archaic dreams, subconscious phantasies and obsessions  and also the perverse, macabre and occult. Themes they painted were legends, myths, allegories and also the ‘femme-fatale’ (especially Salomé). And also man in an enigmatic-magical connection with eroticism and death. The past is idealised (namely the Middle-Ages), there is a dominant feeling of melancholy. The decadence of the present time is depicted.
Maurice Denis was important in formulating the Symbolist theories, see also his book ‘Théories (1890-1910); Du Symbolisme et de Gauguin vers un nouvel ordre classique’; Paris, 1912↓ (R49,p93). Denis wrote ‘To stop reproducing nature and life through approximate sameness and improvised exchanges, but to give shape to our feelings and dreams by representing them through harmonious shapes and colours, that was a new point of view, I do not depart from it.’ (R49,p45) Denis saw Gauguin as the great inspirator ‘Gauguin freed us from our chains, from the idea of copying nature’ (R49,p37). Also Georges-Albert Aurier↓ (1891) saw Gauguin as the ‘head of the new school’ (R181II,p469+438). I think Maillard exaggerates the role of Gauguin when he writes ‘From a combination of Cloisonism, Synthetism and Gauguin’s longing for the primitive purity of nature’s peoples, then arose the so-called Symbolism.’ (R74,p293).
Denis called a painting a ‘flat surface covered with colours in a particular arrangement’ (R470,p32). Symbolism can be seen as the first art-movement that presented absolute autonomous art. Colours are used in an autonomic way. Often perspectives disappear, some paintings seem to be two-dimensional. Decorative elements and the use of arabesks are also typical for Symbolism. The works are often stylized.

 

Old books and articles on these art-mouvements:
Georges-Albert Aurier: ‘Le Symbolisme en peinture’. In Mercure de France, Paris, 1891/03 (R181II,p469+438).
Georges-Albert Aurier: ‘Les peintres symbolistes‘ in Mercure de France in 1893 (R181II,p628).
Emile Bernard: Notes sur l’École dite de Pont-Aven. In Mercure de France, December 1903. (R181II,p628).
Emile Bernard: Mémoire pour l’histoire du Symbolisme pictural en 1890. In Maintenant no.3, 1919/08/26. (R181II,p469+628)
Émile Bernard: ‘Quelques souvenirs inédits sur l’artiste peintre Paul Gauguin et ses compagnons lors de leur séjours à Pont-Aven et au Pouldu‘
1: ‘Quelques souvenirs de Pont-Aven (1888) (1939/02/23).
2: ‘L’école symboliste ou synthétique‘ (1939/03/05).
3: ‘La première manifestation synthétiste‘ (1939/03/12). (R181II,p628)
Maurice Denis: Théories (1890-1910); Du Symbolisme et de Gauguin vers un nouvel ordre classique’; Paris, 1912. (R49,p93).
Maurice Denis: ‘L’époque du symbolisme‘ in Gazette des Beaux-Arts in 1934 (R181II,p629).
Édouard Dujardin: Calendrier: Aux XX et aux Indépendants: Le Cloisonisme. In: La Revue Indépendante, March 1888. (R268;R181II,p469+629;iR4; online: iR40)
Mellério, André: Le Mouvement idéaliste en peinture, 1896 (R74,p366).
Jean Moréas: Un manifeste littérataire – Le Symbolisme.  In: Le Figaro littéraire, 1886/09/18.  (R181II,p469+631;iR22;)
Charles Morice: La littérature de tout à l’heure’ (about Symbolism), 1889. (R181II,p467)

Expositions:
1887: café Le Grand Bouillon, 43, avenue de Clichy, organisée par Vincent van Gogh, avec la participation de ses amis Bernard, Anquetin et Lautrec (iR4).
1889/06/08 Schuffenecker and Gauguin organised an exhibition of ‘Peintures du groupe impressionniste et synthétiste’ at Café Volpini; Gauguin showed 17 works (R5,p169;R36,p81;R49;R3;R181). See link to seperate page.
From 1891 till early 1898 there were 15 expositions held of ‘peintres Impressionnistes et Symbolistes‘, see link to seperate page.
From 1892-97 there were 6 exhibitions of the Salon de la Rose+Croix, see link to seperate page.

 

General sources:
Wubben (1975=R298); Gibsen (2011=R470); Barilli (1988=R471); Krausse (=R172); Maillard (1968=R74,p363-366); Kappelmayr (1995=R170,p444); Leinz (1987=R299,p13-25); Negri (1974=R289); Monneret (1978-81=R88II,p428-439); Walther (R3,p699); Schilderkunst van A tot Z (R13,p690). More info on WGI (iR22). See links for the general references (=Rx), the references to internet (=iRx) for the other sources and also for the musea (=M). For info on the subscription of the paintings see.

 

 

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