Symbolism
Symbolism as a current in literature and the visual arts took definitive shape in Paris in 1886. It saw Impressionism as kind of materialism, dominated by physical impressions, and fostered idealism and a more poetic sensibility. Art ought to once more become a voyage of discovery in search of the mysteries of the soul and the world of symbols, dreams, eroticism, fear, and even esoteric beliefs. Symbolism had its roots in a profound sense of existence and the subconscious, even before Freud’s analyses of the latter. In Paris the movement came under the influence of Sâr Péladan, who in 1892 launched the “Salons de la Rose + Croix” exhibitions in which Belgian artists also took part. Some artists sought to radiate an atmosphere of deep interiority; others were caught up in more superficial decorative effects.