symbolism n .
- The practice of representing things by means of symbols or of attributing symbolic
meanings or significance to objects, events, or relationships .
- A system of symbols or representations .
- A symbolic meaning or representation .
- Revelation or suggestion of intangible conditions or truths by artistic invention
.
- Symbolism The movement, theory, or practice of the late 19th-century
Symbolists
(from Dictionary.
com)
Symbolism - Late 19th Century
Symbolism is a 19th-century movement in which art became infused with a spooky
mysticism. It was a continuation of the Romantic tradition, which included such artists
as Caspar David Friedrich and John Henry Fuseli.
Anticipating Freud and Jung, the Symbolists mined mythology
and dream imagery for a visual language of the soul. More a philosophy than an actual
style of art, they influenced the contemporary Art Nouveau movement and Les Nabis.
The leading Symbolists included Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon,
and Pierre Puvis de Chavannes.
The movement was also a major influence on some of the Expressionists,
especially through the work of Edvard Munch and Franz von Stuck. (from Artcyclopedia.com)
Had I lived in the late 19th Century, I'd like to believe I would have been a Symbolist.
The truth is I'll never actually know, but I believe I would have felt at home among
that scene. Much of what I do in the way of artistic endeavor has a Symbolist quality
to it and perhaps nothing more so than this, The Archeon Tarot.
Begun in the late stages of October 2003, this project is my first attempt at creating
a tarot deck, but it is also something of a personal journey. Each of the 78
images in the Archeon Tarot relies heavily on the symbolism inherent in my mind.
What this means is that it is a curious mixture of traditional and non-traditional imagery
from varied sources thrown into the blender of my subconscious. There will be things
that you recognize, cultural and social conventions, but their interpretations may not
always be what you'd expect.
Consider The Archeon Tarot a window into the mythology
of one man's world, or at least... how he imagines his world to be.
-Tim Lantz
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