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In works of art, literature, and narrative, a symbol is a concrete element like an object, character, image, situation, or action that suggests or hints at abstract, deeper, or non-literal meanings or ideas. [1] [2] The use of symbols artistically is symbolism. In literature, such as novels, plays, and poems, symbolism goes beyond just the ...
In the Nativity of Jesus in art, the detail of showing Saint Joseph as asleep, which was common in medieval depictions, can be regarded as a "motif". Many designs in Islamic culture are motifs, including those of the sun, moon, animals such as horses and lions, flowers, and landscapes.
The symbolist painters used mythological and dream imagery. The symbols used by symbolism are not the familiar emblems of mainstream iconography but intensely personal, private, obscure and ambiguous references. More a philosophy than an actual style of art, symbolism in painting influenced the contemporary Art Nouveau style and Les Nabis. [14]
The Nightmare (1781), by Johann Heinrich Füssli, Detroit Institute of Arts, Detroit. Symbolism, understood as a means of expression of the "symbol", that is, of a type of content, whether written, sonorous or plastic, whose purpose is to transcend matter to signify a superior order of intangible elements, has always existed in art as a human manifestation, one of whose qualities has always ...
Religious symbol, an iconic representation of a religion or religious concept Buddhist symbolism, the use of Buddhist art to represent certain aspects of dharma; Christian symbolism, the use of symbols, including archetypes, acts, artwork or events, by Christianity; Symbols of Islam, the use of symbols in Islamic literature, art and architecture
Hazard symbols; List of mathematical constants (typically letters and compound symbols) Glossary of mathematical symbols; List of physical constants (typically letters and compound symbols) List of common physics notations (typically letters used as variable names in equations) Rod of Asclepius / Caduceus as a symbol of medicine
It is also a symbol of mischief and malice for its toxic venom and the slow death it causes, which is often seen as a curse. [1] In addition, the spider has inspired creations from an ancient geoglyph to a modern steampunk spectacle. Spiders have been the focus of fears, stories and mythologies of various cultures for centuries. [2]
The salamander in Christian art represents "faith over passion", according to one critic, [58] or a symbol of chastity in religious art, a view by Duchalais seconded by Émile Mâle. [ 59 ] [ 60 ] In the rose windows of Notre Dame de Paris , the figure of Chasity holds a shield depicting a salamander (though perhaps depicted rather bird-like).