[Music] the 19th century was an era of great change for much of the Western world symbolism was in many ways a response to the rapid industrialization and scientific advances that were affecting society it began in literature an expression of disenchantment with modern society but spread quickly to music and Fine Arts the Symbolists were Avant Garde's a diverse group often working independently in different styles and mediums they sought escape from an increasingly eerie reality by expressing dreams visions and spirituality symbolist fine artists are identified by their use of color and flat often abstract forms their work was often emotive with recurring themes love fear anguish death sexual awakening and desire very different from the type of romantic or academic art that was favored by the art establishment of the day Oh Dylan Breeden was a forerunner of the symbolist movement his letter graphic prints radical and sinister terrify symbolism by emphasizing dreams and the imagination illustrating Gustave Flaubert's poem latin Tassie induce aunt antoine the temptation of st. Anthony he showcased the move away from naturalism with his use of dream imagery and strange imaginary figures Britain was an important influence on many later artists including his friend Paul Gauguin Gorgons iconic painting version of the sermon was described by a critic in 1891 as the first defining simplest painting it illustrates a biblical story in which Jacob wrestles with an angel the flat forms and broad use of red emphasizes the Unreal and dreamlike image they are seen jacob and the angel not physically but as a vision the tree represents the division between the real world and the interior space of the mind symbolism and his artistic rejection of the everyday spread far beyond France the Scottish artist Frances McDonald McNair produced experimental designs across a range of media and sleep her gaunt stylized figures inhabit an unreal space the place of dreams McNair's work exhibit some of the decorative treats of Art Nouveau a movement that like symbolism emerged at the end of the 19th century symbolism influenced artists like Picasso Dali Mondrian and Kandinsky it also paved the way for a wide range of artistic movements such as Expressionism surrealism abstraction and more the simplest influence can still be seen today Michael Armitage is an artist currently living and working between London and Nairobi his paintings - our stories woven between different spaces historical and contemporary news internet gossip and memory Armitage is by no means a symbolist but at his 2016 painting nassim annoy he makes direct reference to googans version of the sermon in place of the Breton's and angels his composition shows spectators two women performing the by cocoa dance a popular dance in Africa but their stance and the energy of the work the flat colors and synthetic dreamlike quality is the same perhaps the lasting influence of symbolism should be no surprise symbolism was a rejection of scientific and industrial advances and their impact on society as we move into a new technological age what well there are portals next response be you