Text "Some thoughts on symbolism in fine arts"
- Полина Гажур
- 20 авг.
- 22 мин. чтения
Some thoughts on symbolism in fine arts
Contents
Preface
During the time of my artistic development (which is more then 20 years, counting from the first student exhibitions) I am frequently asked: what exactly do I try to achieve in my works, what art styles seem more relevant to me; as far as how I get and transform the ideas, what senses and meanings convey my works, and what does the whole working progress look like. So I decided that now is the right time to put some of my thoughts into text in order to give answers to some of these questions.
Growing up in an artistic family, I was deeply involved in the world of fine arts from early childhood and received a lot of its influences. And, as everyone, I encountered many symbols. Starting with the seeming simplicity of fairytales, it all grew and expanded with the increasing quantity of the absorbed literature of various sorts. All of this, with the over time added interest for humanitarian sciences, music, theater, as well as languages, led me first to art school, then to university. There, studying the history of art, art criticism and fine arts, I’ve strived to learn more about perceived connections between the world of art and the world of symbols, which surround a human everywhere and every time. In this way, the topics of some of my research then were, for example, the symbolism of the world of the dead in the funerary ceramics of Ancient Japan, the symbols of the world tree in the mythologies of ancient civilizations, and the idea of the synthesis of arts in the French symbolist theater of France in the late 19th – early 20th centuries, which was the topic of my diploma.
The subsequent life experience while working in different spheres and trying out different activities, the experience of building relationships and partnerships, then raising children, and consequent tasks and challenges of everyday life, as well as exploring other countries and various landscapes, then moving to another country, learning its particular culture, language, traditions and environment – all of this always accompanied by my deep involvement in art – was driving my imagination and consciousness to focus on feeling and regarding symbols when trying to express newly arising perceptions in my works.
While reading different literature and especially philosophy(personally value the works of R.Guenon, Platon, C.G,Jung, E. Cassirer, and many others), and for a while the addition of new languages, including Sanskrit – that all gives me a lot of food for thought and imagination. Which, coupled with thinking about big and small problems that are going hand-in-hand with the presence as a human being, increase my devotion to transferring the symbolic and sometimes deeply felt images appearing in my mind to my paintings. And all of it sometimes gives me bits of comprehension of life and the world around me. And the chosen art style, in this way, is symbolism, as it suits most of my attitudes and goals.
So in this text I try to express some of my thoughts about symbolism in theory and practice in fine art.
Some thoughts on symbolism in fine arts
O snail
Climb Mount Fuji,
But slowly, slowly.
Kobayashi Issa
Before proceeding directly to the consideration of the topic of symbolism in fine arts, it seems profitable to begin from the outset with the envisaging of the most fundamental concept of “symbol”. Then, in order to consider the whole process of working in the area of the conception of symbolism in fine art, it makes sense to depict (as full as possible) the particular artist’s mindset about producing an image. In conclusion, to connect all of this – the means and uses of the symbol and the particular process of creating an artwork in the frame of the style of symbolism in fine art and to figure out how these themes work in conjunction and what goals and advantages could be gained from this fusion.
The concept of symbol
The very etymology of the word “symbol” is quite notional in the context of this article, conducting to comprehension its inward profound meaning.
“Symbol” comes from the Greek verb “symballo”, which means “to connect, to add, to meet”. In Ancient Greece “symbala” was the name of two halves of a broken ceramic plate, which, linked together, folded into one complete piece. Thereby members of various unities and groups, or a friend returned from a journey and changed beyond recognitions, identified “one’s people” when met. “By symbol, one’s people recognize and understand each other” (Averintsev.S. 2001) [1]
According to the generally accepted interpretation, a symbol is “something that serves as a conventional sign of some concept, phenomenon, idea”. It is also an image that contingently conveys some thoughts or experiences. Also it is a conditional designation of some unit or quantity, accepted in science.
Thus, a symbol can be anything – a number, a letter, an object, an image. In the context of consideration from the point of fine arts (this should be emphasized here in respect that symbols can be scientific, philosophical, as well as literary or musical) – the conceptual denotion of “image” and “conditionality” are especially important.
Conditinality – from Latin “con” (with) and “dicere” (say) – “condicere” – means “to agree”, “to reach agreement”, - is a kind of language for manifold of people. The very entity of conditionality can be divided into two parts – hereby advisable to entitle them “logical”, rationally deduced and intuitively percepted.
Rationally deduced symbols
The conception of “logical” conditionality, contingency is clear from the consecutive conclusion – people with the same language understand each other verbally; people, who grew in the same time or place – united by common intentions, habits, allegories, hints, jokes, etc.
The definition begins with the widest range of understandable symbols, i.e. the broadest possible – we are all humans with similar physical parameters. In this case an image of a human in any pose, for example, can be read by all people in a relatively (and here, of course, some discrepancies are also possible) nearby directions, because there is already a starting point for understanding, since this image can easily be related to oneself.
Further, as more familiar topics and features are identified, people are uniting according to the way of comprehension into some consonant groups. Starting with the largest, such as gender, age, conditions, traditions, religion, country and so on. And ending with the most unique combinations, such as immediate family. In the process of such narrowing down of the sample increases the number of similarly taken conventional concepts.
Hereby, we can conclude that symbol is a certain agreement between people – to decipher in something abstract something concrete related to reality. And this understanding depends on the accumulated experience of each, the peculiarities of their development, qualities, as well as readiness to incorporate conditional conceptions in one’s thoughts, life and communication, as a convenient tool, and also to operate with them.
Here can be imagined a kind of “abstract baggage” of a person, including both the initial input data from birth in a certain place, time and circumstances, as well as including experience gained during one’s lifetime – this can be a complex of elements helping one develop the ability to understand others at various levels. With the appearance of each next element in this set, a new or an already existing specific segment is expanded to increase the possibility of perceiving a new conditional symbol. Being in contact with such “sets” of other people, at nascenting intersection points arises the potential for the same or similar comprehension of the symbol. So appears the opportunity to reach that agreement about what meaning lays behind the regarded symbolic image. Like this, having learnt a new language, one gets the possibility to agree with another speaking this language.
Hence, any conditional symbol is a tool that serves both understanding between people and gaining knowledge. In general, a symbol can be imagined as a three-dimensional projection of some event. By “event” here is meant any “energy clot” in space – a real event, or a portion of experience, or an idea etc. Any movement on the serene surface of the water. As well as the very existence of this surface and this serenity, and even their relationship.
Being manifested in a conditional, symbolic form – now as a two-dimensional image – that very “event” includes addition of an always surely varying mass of accompanying factors – from the prehistory of the event to the most insignificant sensations received at the moment of its origin. Thus, conditionally speaking, a three-dimensional sphere is formed (with a forth dimension – time), garmenting the immediate symbol. And the sphere can be viewed from the different sides. In the same way, peering into a symbol, perceiving it at different levels – from consciousness to emotions, regarding it from different points of view, one can obtain additional information and learn about the internal relationships in the space created by the symbol.
Intuitively percepted symbols
Contrary to the explanation of managing the persons own peculiar library of symbols, accumulated in real life, now seems profitable to choose a somewhat different way to consider the other form of conditionality – irrational. And to proceed from a more abstract, one might say, metaphysical concept.
Outside the framework of any religious allusions or references into this reasoning in order to preserve the maximum possible objectivity, the starting point of reflection on intuitively percepted conditionality and its accompanying symbols is the implying that human does not exist on their own, but is part of the universe. Depending on one’s beliefs, values and estimations, this can be perceived from scientific, physical points of view, as well as from esoteric, philosophical or religious ones. In this text this does not play a significant role; the formula does not change its internal algorithm depending on the values substituted into it.
So, a human is a part of the universe. And just like its other parts and everything that the universe consists of, it exists according to the laws by which everything exists. This means that there are algorithms and programs that work regardless of the choice of a person directly or their will. An example here can be DNA as the very program that sets a huge number of parameters for existence on Earth.
The physical manifestation of a human being exists according to the laws of the universe and is subject to the influence of these laws. A person, at the same time, also has emotional, psychological, intellectual components, which also the part of the universe, and therefore are also subject to the algorithms of life. And then, as in the physical body, there are also some analogues of DNA (as in the example given below), which set certain programs of action and development accordingly.
Let us sum up this part of reasoning. There are two ways of perceiving conditionality – rational, coming from the fact that a human is a part of a community of other humans, and the second – irrational, originations from the fact that a human is part of the universe. Both the first and the second ways of comprehending the conditionality freely and often unconsciously intersect, flow into each other, complement and modify each other, thereby opening up endless possibilities for the creation and cognition of new symbols.
Symbol as a tool of cognition
Returning to the previously mentioned description of the function of the symbol as a tool of cognition, it seems important to further consider the very four-dimensional sphere that arises around the symbol with the inevitable addition of the different factors accompanying that appear or the moment of recognition in the consciousness of a person. Some of these factors are expressed more strongly, have greater weight and carry a more distinct expression, others are fleeting, less significant or felt only through the careful study. And in the consciousness of each human all of this happens completely individually, depending on that very personal “baggage”, the totality of everything.
Each such sphere is, in its entity, a unique particular world, and even if several people generally perceive a certain conditional symbol in the same way, the "atmosphere" around it will be different for each person.
If we describe this sphere as a certain world (it can naturally be permanent of fluctuating), then it is logical to assume hat it also exists according to certain laws and follows certain algorithms. Because, as was already concluded earlier, everything that is part of universe follows certain laws. In this case, it does not matter whether these laws are recognized and realized or not.
This means that by considering this sphere from different points of view we can find out what the laws that govern this world’s particular existence and development (that very surge of energy described by a concrete symbol) are. This is completely personal and individualized, “tailored to measure”, possible to be understood due to each person’s knowledge because, as already mentioned, a sphere always arises from the characteristics of each human and their life.
And if, by examining the symbol of any situation and having immersed oneself in its study, it is possible to understand what law is hidden inside, then, by analogy with legal laws, one can find out what advantages are derived from knowing the law, what penalties await those who violate this law, and whether this law can be bypassed and how.
In summary, we have identified the main function of the symbol – facilitating understanding between people, as well as storing information, which one can employ to obtain additional knowledge, that can be used practically.
Situations in which the use of the symbol is most effective
It is possible to describe almost anything symbolically. There are, however, a number of situations, in which the use of a symbol is most effective.
1. Capacity
As a reservoir of information, as mentioned earlier, symbols have a huge capacity. And the more factors, ideas, situations, etc. a symbol absorbs, the more it generalizes, and the simpler it is to understand and depict, the more effective it is in use. Thus, it is a sign that points the way and opens access to a library of diverse knowledge, feelings and allusions, collected as if in a cloud invisibly surrounding this symbol. It makes essence clearer and gives the understanding of the area of knowledge that is covered by the symbol and forms the particular expectation of what is to come - and all of this happening in quick succession.
For example, here we can cite any of the religious symbols and a person who comes in contact with a specific religion, by seeing its symbol, can immediately recall the entire totality of everything connected to it. This is completed with the person’s individual connection to the symbol, with their own feelings or memories.
2. Creating a certain mood
This point ensues from the previous one. The symbol is used as a kind of quintessence of generalizations that not only indicates the situation, but is also capable of creating a certain mood. For example, to prepare for particular actions or rituals, or to set the ground for reflection or call for action in the imperative given by the symbol.
3. Lack of other models of communication
As a tool that facilitates understanding between people, a symbol can in some situations act as the only bridge in communication if there are no other options. In the case of complete dissimilarity or apartness of people and the absence of a common language, a symbol can become a universal language that unites people and alleviates their further interaction. And here in particularl the aforementioned irrational conditional symbols play an important role.
4. Symbol as an indication of an unresolved question
If a symbol evokes a feeling of recognition, interest or intuitive connection in one person, this may be a somehow felt inside signal to understand the importance of examining it more closely. Perhaps the observer feels on a conscious, emotional or psychological level the concordance of this symbol with some unresolved, disturbing, interesting or necessary for further development questions, and this particular image contains the key to the answers or at least cues on how to find this key.
Types of symbols
Among all existing symbols, as well as those ready to appear in the future, could be distinguished between broad and narrow ones, general and personal, timeless and situational. The longer the constancy of the symbol’s presence in the informational world’s space, the greater its capacity, the bigger its consonance with a greater number of people or events – the more profound and significant is the symbol. Just as a “general” symbol is one that is understood relatively similarly by a large number of people. The timelessness of a symbol allows one to achieve both, due to the fact of using concepts, not tied, as far as possible, to the immediate specifics of each moment in human history. Such a symbol “works” on a deeper level, like an irrational one, overcoming the boundaries between historical eras, countries and contexts.
It is also important to note the more intimate, small, superficial, personal and situational symbols, right up to symbols required only for one specific individual or moment.
Both of them respond differently to one of the four symbol usage options, or to several or all of them.
Working with a symbol
If we consider a symbol a way of learning, obtaining information, or finding solutions to unresolved issues, then the most important thing in these processes is the readiness for conditional perceiving. It derives from the acknowledgement of the importance and, often, the truly practical necessity of operating with the generalization. Generalization is one of the effective tools of human intellect, as the human itself is also, in a way, a generalization and a symbol – of their existence in general, each moment in life, the simultaneity of thoughts, emotions and experience and the totality of ideas and sensations.
By adding the concept of conditionality of a symbol to the concept of generalization, it is possible to expand the search area for information, solutions, and realizations of the directions in which to move, based on the needs, tasks and challenges of every concrete individual. Generality itself is finding common ground for various objects, events, situations etc. This is occasionally required, profitable and energy-saving, and also allows to move on to think on a different, higher level (like exploring first a tree, then a grove, then forest, then the wood massif from a bird’s eye view).
A symbol is the same generalization (here is meant a symbol realized with lines, shapes, colors – i.e. in fine art), but at the same time an image, which is visible to the eye. It carries extra information that makes it easier to reveal its essential structure. Human consciousness and imagination are capable to note the most diverse allegories and associations; whenever possible, they willingly appear. Of course, this sometimes depends on how time, the appropriateness of the situation and mood redirect the thinking process from everyday life tasks, for example, to seemingly unhurried and more focused observation of not only the considered image, but also one’s own internal associative chains or produced guesses. Then, if there is this peculiar “attraction” or some yet unclear interaction with the symbol or some part of it, then probably with a deeper further immersion, thinking or discussing the symbol, some sensations or thoughts could appear from a completely unexpected inner “library section” (the complex collection of consciousness, experience and sensations), which will ultimately lead to finding a solution to aforementioned everyday or disturbing questions.
When an image, on the different levels being conditional or abstract on different levels, awakes in a person the feeling or thought that “there may be something else here inside”, then, very likely, they have met a symbol that is important in some aspect to them personally, no matter whether it is large or small, general or personal – this is an indication of a possibility to find out more.
Symbols, therefore, are the language in which our consciousness and the universe speak to us.
Aestheticism of the symbol
So far, in the frames of this text, the main point is a picture symbol (a drawn, sketched image) - thus it seems important to regard the aesthetic aspect of its perception. For the greatest efficiency in achieving the set goals, the symbol must, first of all, be consonant and understandable for whoever sees it. Any image is perceived by sight and then by mind, and its qualities should be equally harmonious and correspondable to the concept behind it, as well as it visible completeness and sufficiency.
Thus, increasing the capacity or narrative for better understanding of the symbol should not be accompanied by increasing the quantity of added details, as this can create the impression of a chaotic accumulation,or visual noise that distracts attention and makes it difficult to understand the main goal. At the same time, a strictly defined combination of lines, shapes, their sizes, dimensions and interplays is intended to ewoke an emotional connection in the observer, which allows him to sense the symbol as something quite personal. Such an aesthetic impact of the symbol brings the viewer to a more intensive work with it and a deeper penetration into its meaning.
To the extent that it seems appropriate within the framework of this text, as well as the role and meaning of the symbol in general, it is necessary now to consider how the artist, the very first-hand creator of that very work of art, handles the symbol - uses or creates it, before moving on to symbolism in fine arts.
The concept of concordance
Working with symbols requires from the artist great concentration, openness to completely different spheres of knowledge, patience, and flexible readiness to catch often frequently slight cues and emanations of their consciousness or emotions, that indicate how exactly the conditional image that interests them at the moment can be transmitted by visual means of expression. After all, their goal is to catch the total four-dimensional image, passing it through themselves and transforming it by the means of fine art into a two-dimensional image in such a way that, looking at the picture, it is possible to perceive the initial four-dimensional image.
Everyone has a sense of harmony – of a situation, state, self-perception, concept, etc. The arising of this feeling – consistently for a long time or fluently – marks that what’s happening currently corresponds to some processes occurring in an individual at the moment. This sensation of harmony – with oneself or with the surrounding world – is perceived as something very comforting, pleasant and valuable. Of course, here is meant the entire spectrum of feelings - not only those officially considered “positive”. Indeed, for example, in some situation even sadness can be felt as something corresponding to the moment. And it is human nature to strive to be not merely an outside observer of this feeling, but also to be capable of capturing it and learning what allows one to manage this process somehow.
Finding a visual image that answers the flourishing questions or pursuits can give the artist this feeling of concordance. Either the impression that they are noticing is a kind of indicator, a sign that, by moving in the direction of the image, they will find a chord of harmony. The appearance of this signpost in consciousness, which can be either clear or indistinct, can be the result of a sudden illumination, long and painstaking searches and attempts, deep reflections, or the manifestation of an image in a tranquil mind.
Concordance and cognition in the working process
Having obtained an image or a premonition of it, the artist receives the desired goal - they see the path to achieve the result they are looking for. In this case - the creation of a picture that contains the experience they had felt and, perhaps, allows them to feel this moment of accordant harmony, while simultaneously finding answers to the questions.
Then, like a traveler who sees the silhouette of an oasis on the horizon, the artist begins the journey. And this journey itself is exciting and requires not only making many decisions, but also constantly checking your compass of sensations, finding the right feeling of that very correspondence, resonance within themselves for each action. The creator is at liberty to constantly modify the image, polish it, add new details to it, while sensitively listening to their feelings, entering into a kind of mutual work with all the resources, the manifold of participants involved in the creation of the picture. They are the mind, eyes, hands, visual means of fine art: the canvas, in the enclosed space of which the world of the image is formed; brushes as an extension of the hands, creating forms and lines; paints, which are simultaneously the physical body of the picture, and play an important role not only in establishing a connection between the artist and the canvas, but also in filling the work with many additional meanings[2]. These meanings are ingrained into the image by choosing specific colors, their shades and combinations, and allow to deepen and expand the content of the image due to not only the aesthetic and emotional effect but also the obvious or hidden symbolism inherent in each color. All of this, as well as the choice of forms and lines, accompanying the image, and the necessary elements - it does not matter whether this happens at the stage of thinking about the painting, preliminary sketches and studies or immediately during the process of drawing - is like a dance towards the goal, in which the artist constantly searches for that very manifestation of the concordance in all the components until comes the feeling of "that very moment". Something inside seems to say: "It corresponds." And the dance continues again, being itself a dialogue with that very desired image. Beginning this dialogue, when, for example, the painting seems to reject the previously envisioned detail or composition, causing a feeling of "wrongness", the artist needs to flexibly, sensitively and carefully correlate their feelings, expectations and the modifications as they follow the path.
In this way already in the process of creating a painting, intensive work on searching for meaning takes place, and it already forms the initial parts of the answer to the question (or formulate it more and more carefully), which the author initially has undertaken in work, having felt the cognizable image as a possibility of resolution. The situational impression of harmony indicates to them that they are moving in the right direction. As a result, the entire painting becomes a cumulative collection of small "concordances", in tune with the debugging and calibration of a complex mechanism.
These "harmonious encouragements" occur contemporaneously with the author's work with their thoughts, emotions, psychological questions, as well as with their professional skills and the possible need to improve or rather change the drawing or painting technique, turning the process of working on a painting into a complex, exciting and meaningful life event. The artist moves along the path to reveal a harmonious image that meets their request, and this movement does not stop even when the painting is completed.
Now the painting is already a separate and independent object from the author, containing its own world. And the painting, like as a certain model of the world, that is created by the image manifested on the canvas, by being considered can reveal interconnections unexpected even for the author - meanings, lines, forms, colors, delving into details and meanings, fully or partially, directly or allegorically answering the original question.
Communication in the working process
Those perceived cognitions during the painting process and after its ending are simultaneously and continuously always accompanied by another function of art.
It being the universal language provides the artist with the very connections on the various levels that convey the possibilities of communication and understanding. Four general groups of those communications can be regarded.
The first group appears from the beginning – the artist converse with their own needs, questions or problems, this way connecting with their inner world. This connection always continues during the working process, inducing more and more understanding.
The next group is the intense communication with the desired image. In order to embody it as close as possible to what has been perceived, the artist invents a peculiar sort of language to interact with the gained symbol and its shapes. This sort of connection lasts also during the working process and afterwards.
The third sphere of communication is the artist’s relationship with the crew of instruments and means – all participants of the technical implementation – eyes, hands, canvas, brushes, lines, forms and colors. That ends indeed with the completion of the work.
And the fourth type of communication is that with the other people, the observers of the work, which is now ready. By the artistic impression depicted on the canvas the artist speaks in a certain way with other people, with the outside world. Using art as a language, in this way, the artist’s devotion is to be understood.
Symbolism in Fine Arts
Correspondences
“Nature is a temple in which living pillars
Sometimes give voice to confused words;
Man passes there through forests of symbols
Which look at him with understanding eyes.
Like prolonged echoes mingling in the distance
In a deep and tenebrous unity,
Vast as the dark of night and as the light of day,
Perfumes, sounds, and colors correspond.”
(Baudelaire, 1857/1954)[3]
The movement in fine art that appeared in France in the 1860s and 70s, called symbolism (according to Jean Moréas's "Manifesto of Symbolism"), is characterized primarily by the artists' desire to symbolize the world, to endow the world with meaning and sense. The surrounding reality is presented as filled with signs, symbols, which are visible carriers of a single substance that permeates the natural world and human consciousness, which can be intuitively understood with the help of art.
“In the symbolic function of consciousness, as it operates in language, art, and myth, certain constant basic gestalts that are of a partly conceptual nature as well as a purely intuitive nature are lifted out of the stream of consciousness; a self-contained and enduring unity of form takes the place of fleeting contents.” (Cassirer, 1923/2021, p.23)[4]
Here it is necessary to clarify - art itself is symbolic, and allegories, parables, allusions and signs have been used by artists from the most remote times. Officially, as a separate movement, symbolism emerged in the 19th century and was further developed in the 20th.
In the modern world, this direction is becoming especially relevant when human consciousness, oversaturated with a multiplying information flow, forms the need to record life experience, reflections and processes occurring outside, to generalize them and understand certain patterns and principles present at the same time within a person and in the world.
With its wide range of means - the ability to connect what at first glance seems incompatible and to include metaphors of any type in a work, symbolism is the very bridge between reality and awareness of it, allowing one to grasp subtle emanations of meaning intellectually, emotionally and intuitively. Simultaneously for the artist themselves and for the viewer.
The theme that arises in the artist's mind gives impetus, direction to their imagination and readiness for intuitive acceptance of the visual expression of the idea, which can be compared to sending a radio signal from an observatory into deep space in the hope of receiving the desired answer or information.
The image, this peculiar response to the artist’s request is the starting point – for their thinking, feeling, reflection and further need to “work through it” with the help of art.
The need to find precise symbols to express this experience leads the artist down the path of cutting off the inessential, adding necessary details to strengthen or develop the image, choosing the most appropriate means of expression - from the mood and emotional message of the future picture to the specific color palette and canvas size. The absence of restrictions gives the author unlimited freedom of choice in using techniques from abstract to realistic in the proportions that allow them to achieve the greatest clarity of the image. The given metaphoric entity of the work makes it possible to combine different symbols with each other, intuitively seeing their complementary essence and anticipating new and unexpected consequences of this connection; to experience a verified synthesis of all elements up to a meditative sensation; carefully, based on the results of lengthy reflections or intuitive insights, select and introduce into the space of the picture the symbolism of the smallest details, specific lines, shapes and colors. And also to use allusions to various emotional constructions, natural images and phenomena, musical, literary, religious, philosophical, esoteric allegories, that properly complement the image. Concisely, everything that appears in the artist’s consciousness during the work process and is felt as harmonious, concordant to the feeling of the specific symbol being represented.
In this way, the essential space of the symbolic image is expanded and at the same time clarified, making it more capacious and at the same time clearer, perhaps even on an intuitive or emotional level, both for the author and for the future viewer. And the result of this exciting and complicated journey in order to “express the inexpressible” and “understand the incomprehensible” is the gaining of a new experience, the receiving of answers and knowledge.
And here at the meeting of all the mentioned “participants” – forms the incredibly sophisticated, multi-levelled and multilayered group: symbol, image, art, artist, observer. The types and shapes of communication in this complex is unimaginable numerous and various, intricately intertwined and flowing over each other in different and unexpected ways, bringing more and more bits of perception and cognition.
There are, as can be counted, 28 of these different branches of dialogue: for example, communication at the level of viewer-image, or viewer-symbol-personality of the artist, or image-art-pictorial techniques and colors, and so on. Each such connection is incredibly fascinating and exciting to find, consider and comprehend. And then, when such connections arise, the amount of sensations and information received in this way saturates the space of the picture with ever greater depth and extent.
Art itself is a universal language in the world, and symbolism provides an amazing opportunity to combine it with the universal language of the symbol.
[1] Averintsev S. (2001). “Symbol”. Dictionary. Sofiya-Logos.
[2] It would be impractical to list in this text the entire vast number of tools used by the artist, but of course it includes the most varied options of pictorial media, from paper to stone and gold, from pastel to the engraver's needle.
[3]Baudelaire.C. (1954). The Flowers of Evil (Translator W.Aggeler). Fresno, CA: Academy Library Guild. (Original work published in 1857)
[4] Cassirer.E. (2021). The philosophy of symbolic forms (Translator S.G.Lofts). Routledge. (Original work published 1923).
Proofreader and editor of the English version: Varvara Abramova
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