Art has always been a mirror of the human spirit—but some artists have gone beyond what the eye can see to explore the inner worlds of dreams, myths, and the subconscious. This is the essence of Symbolism in art—a movement that sought to express deep emotional truths through metaphor, allegory, and mystical imagery.
Whether found in 19th-century paintings filled with otherworldly beings or in contemporary works that utilize culturally grounded symbols to express identity and struggle, Symbolism remains a powerful and timeless form of visual storytelling.
The Sounds of the Print Studio in 5/5 | Stone Lithography on paper | 23" x 34" | 2021 | By: Ligel Lambert
In some of my work, I use abstracted visual forms to represent sound—its rhythm, vibration, and emotional presence. Sound is an invisible force that shapes how we experience the present, memory, space, and identity. Through symbolic mark-making, I translate these unseen elements into a visual language, inviting viewers not only to observe but also to feel the resonance of sound in a new way. I aim to give form to what we usually only hear, capturing its movement and meaning across the artistic surfaces I create.
What Is Symbolism in Art?
Symbolism emerged in the late 19th century as a reaction against realism and naturalism. Instead of depicting the external world as it appeared, Symbolist artists focused on inner visions, spiritual ideas, and mythological or poetic narratives. This movement sought to express emotions, dreams, fears, and desires—often through highly imaginative, sometimes surreal, visual language.
Rather than literal representation, Symbolist art relies on metaphor and mood to speak to the subconscious. It paved the way for later movements such as Surrealism and Expressionism, both of which explore the hidden layers of the human psyche.
Key Characteristics of Symbolism in Art
Symbolist art is rich in metaphor and emotional depth. Artists often use mystical or dreamlike imagery to explore internal states. Common characteristics include:
- Use of metaphor and allegory to represent abstract ideas like death, transformation, love, or isolation
- Dreamlike, surreal, or mystical visual qualities
- Emphasis on psychological or spiritual emotion over physical accuracy
- Personal, symbolic narratives rather than linear storytelling
- Color and composition are used to evoke mood rather than depict reality
Artists Who Helped Establish Symbolism
Artists such as Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, Fernand Khnopff, and Jean Delville made significant contributions to defining the Symbolist movement in Europe. Their works are steeped in myth, dreams, religion, and existential themes. Although primarily known as a precursor to Expressionism, Edvard Munch also embraced Symbolist ideas; his iconic painting, The Scream, is one of the most powerful visual expressions of inner turmoil in Western art.
Symbolism in the Narrative of Art
In Symbolism, images function like poetic lines or philosophical riddles. A tree isn’t just a tree—it may represent life, time, or spiritual growth. A veil might signal mystery or divine presence. Symbolism creates layered narratives that invite viewers to search for meaning, reflect on personal associations, or feel a deep emotional response.
This approach makes it a compelling mode of expression for artists seeking to explore complex identities, histories, and emotions, especially those whose voices have been historically silenced or misrepresented.
Black Artist-Professors Using Symbolism in Contemporary Art
Kerry James Marshall infuses his figurative work with symbols that reframe Western art history, foregrounding the Black experience. Through repeated use of color, flowers, architectural fragments, and coded references, Marshall reclaims visual space for Black identity. His work is deeply narrative, richly symbolic, and unapologetically political. He has taught at the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Radcliffe Bailey combines painting, sculpture, and found objects to tell stories rooted in African diasporic memory. His use of trains, maps, vintage photographs, and celestial symbols speaks to migration, ancestry, spirituality, and the pursuit of survival. A former professor at the Savannah College of Art and Design (SCAD), Bailey creates layered visual languages rich in cultural meaning.
Renée Stout draws on African spiritual practices, Hoodoo traditions, and her mythologies. Her symbolic assemblages and paintings often resemble altars, maps, or spellbooks—blending fact and fiction, ritual and history. Through recurring icons like bottles, bones, and words, she evokes transformation, resistance, and sacred knowledge. She has taught and lectured at institutions such as Carnegie Mellon University.
Felandus Thames uses materials like braids, beads, rope, and embroidery to explore identity, spirituality, and trauma. His work often incorporates text and coded imagery to reflect on the experience of Black life in America. As a professor at the University of Hartford, Thames builds symbolism into both medium and message, drawing attention to beauty, endurance, and faith.
Meleko Mokgosi creates monumental figurative paintings that blend storytelling, history painting, and postcolonial critique with rich symbolic undertones. Whether through the use of national flags, domestic interiors, or inserted texts in Setswana and English, his work interrogates power structures, representation, and identity in Southern Africa. Often drawing from European art traditions, Mokgosi subverts visual expectations to place African subjects at the center of contemporary art discourse. He is an associate professor at the Yale School of Art.
Sanford Biggers works across painting, sculpture, textiles, installation, and performance to create layered, symbolic narratives rooted in African diasporic memory, spirituality, and Black cultural traditions. His use of antique quilts in the Codex series references hidden histories and the Underground Railroad, while other works incorporate spiritual and ritual motifs from Ifá, Buddhism, and Vodun. Biggers’s art is both meditative and provocative, offering visual metaphors for resilience, transformation, and ancestral presence. Though no longer teaching at Columbia University, he continues to influence the art world as a public intellectual, mentor, and nationally respected cultural voice.
Mark Thomas Gibson employs symbolism extensively to explore the complexities of race, identity, and American history. Blending graphic novel styles, surrealism, and satire, his work challenges conventional narratives through powerful visual stories. His Banner Project, featuring the "Town Crier," reimagines the American flag with symbolic imagery that provokes reflection on national identity and history. Gibson’s allegorical storytelling in artist books like Some Monsters Loom Large uses symbolic imagery to critique sanitized historical myths. He is an Associate Professor and Program Head of Painting at the Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University, Philadelphia. As both professor and artist, Gibson’s work invites critical engagement with historical and contemporary issues through symbolism.
Why Symbolism Still Resonates
Symbolism provides artists with a means to convey inner truths when literal language or imagery falls short. It allows room for cultural memory, personal healing, and metaphysical exploration. For Black artists and educators, symbolism is more than an aesthetic—it is a tool for empowerment, critique, and connection across generations.
Quick Recap
Symbolism in art centers around metaphor, inner vision, and spiritual or emotional depth. Foundational artists like Moreau and Munch paved the way for contemporary artists such as Kerry James Marshall, Radcliffe Bailey, Renée Stout, and Felandus Thames—who continue to use symbolism to express identity, legacy, and transformation.
Keywords
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