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Symbolist Art

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Style: Symbolist
Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed
Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Located in Roma, IT

Woodcut print on paper. Not signed. A finely executed Ex Libris created for Gino Sabattini, conceived in a distinctly Neo-Gothic and Medieval Revival style. The composition portray...

Category

Early 20th Century Symbolist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Located in Roma, IT

Woodcut on paper. Not signed. A refined Art Deco-inspired Ex Libris created for Gino Sabaittini, characterized by an elegant synthesis of classical mythology and early twentieth-ce...

Category

Early 20th Century Symbolist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Etching, Early 20th Century, Unframed
Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Etching, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Etching, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Located in Roma, IT

Woodcut print on wove paper. Not signed nor numbered. A witty and highly original Ex Libris created for G. Sabattini, conceived in the spirit of early twentieth-century satirical i...

Category

Early 20th Century Symbolist Art

Materials

Etching

The Creation - Bet

The Creation - Bet

Located in Jerusalem, IL

Ten original lithographs, printed by Mourlot Paris in the 1970's. Issued 150 copies numbered and signed. 102/150. Creation was inspired by the Kabalistic conception of the Hebrew Al...

Category

1970s Symbolist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Creation - Alef
The Creation - Alef

The Creation - Alef

Located in Jerusalem, IL

Ten original lithographs, printed by Mourlot Paris in the 1970's. Issued 150 copies numbered and signed. 102/150. Creation was inspired by the Kabalistic conception of the Hebrew Al...

Category

1970s Symbolist Art

Materials

Lithograph

The Creation - Yud Kaf Lamed Mem

The Creation - Yud Kaf Lamed Mem

Located in Jerusalem, IL

Ten original lithographs, printed by Mourlot Paris in the 1970's. Issued 150 copies numbered and signed. 102/150. Creation was inspired by the Kabalistic conception of the Hebrew Al...

Category

1970s Symbolist Art

Materials

Lithograph

"Girl in the Garden" Copper Plate Heliogravure
"Girl in the Garden" Copper Plate Heliogravure

"Girl in the Garden" Copper Plate Heliogravure

By Ferdinand Hodler & R. Piper & Co.

Located in Palm Beach, FL

2018 marks the centenary anniversary of Ferdinand Hodler’s death. In that 100 years time, the art world’s esteem of this important artist has proved fickle. It has shifted from extolling his artistic merits during his lifetime to showing something of a feigned disdain- more reflective of the world political order than a true change of heart for Hodler’s work. After years of Hodler being all but a footnote in the annals of art history and generally ignored, finally, the pendulum has righted itself once again. Recent retrospective exhibitions in Europe and the United States have indicated not only a joyful rediscovery of Hodler’s art but a firm conviction that his work and world view hold particular relevance today. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is not only a collection of printed work reflecting the best of all of his painted work created up to 1914 just before the outbreak of World War I, the portfolio itself is an encapsulation of Hodler’s ethos, Parallelisme. Hodler developed his philosophy of Parallelisme as a unifying approach to art which strips away detail in search of harmony. By means of abstraction, symmetry and repetition, Hodler sought ways to depict Nature’s essence and her fundamental, universal order. He believed these universal laws governing the natural, observable world extend to the spiritual realm. Symbolist in nature with Romantic undertones, his works are equally portraits of these universal concepts and feelings governing all life as they are a visual portrait in the formal sense. Whether his subject is a solitary tree, a moment in battle, mortal fear, despair, the awe inspired by a vast mountain range, a tender moment or even the collective conviction in a belief, Hodler unveils this guiding principle of Parallelisme. Several aspects of Hodler’s portfolio reinforce his tenets of Parallelisme. The Table of Contents clearly preferences a harmonious design over detail. The two columns, consisting of twenty lines each, list the images by order of appearance using their German titles. The abbreviated titles are somewhat cryptic in that they obscure the identities of the sitters. Like the image Hodler presents, they are distillations of the sitter without any extraneous details. This shortening was also done in an effort to maintain a harmonious symmetry of the Table of Contents, themselves, and keep titles to a one-line limit. The twenty-fourth title: “Bildnis des Schweizerischen Gesandten C.” was so long, even with abbreviation, that it required two lines; so, for the sake of maintaining symmetry, the fortieth title: “Bauernmadchen” was omitted from the list. This explains why the images are not numbered. Hodler’s reasoning is not purely esoteric. Symmetry and pattern reach beyond mere formal design principles. Finding sameness and imposing it over disorder goes to the root of Hodler’s identity and his art. A Swiss native, Hodler was bi-lingual and spoke German and French. Each printed image, even number forty, have titles in both of Hodler’s languages. Certainly, there was a market for Hodler’s work among francophones and this inclusion may have been a polite gesture to that end; however, this is the only place in the portfolio which includes French. With German titles at the lower left of each image, Hodler’s name at bottom center and corresponding French titles at the lower right of each image, there is a harmony and symmetry woven into all aspects of the portfolio. This holds true for the page design, as it applies to each printed image and as it describes the Swiss artist himself. Seen in this light, Hodler’s portfolio of printed work is the epitome of Hodler’s Parallelisme. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS is also one of the most significant documents to best tell the story of how Hodler, from Switzerland, became caught between political cross-hairs and how the changing tides of nations directly impacted the artist during his lifetime as well as the accessibility of his art for generations to come. The Munich-based publisher of the portfolio, R. Piper & Co., Verlag, plays a crucial role in this story. Publishing on a wide range of subjects from philosophy and world religion to music, literature and the visual arts; the publisher’s breadth of inquiry within any one genre was equal in scope. Their marketing strategy to publish multiple works on Hodler offers great insight as to what a hot commodity Hodler was at that time. R.Piper & Co.’s Almanach, which they published in 1914 in commemoration of their first ten years in business, clearly illustrates the rapid succession- strategically calculated for achieving the deepest and broadest impact - in which they released three works on Hodler to hit the market by the close of 1914. DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was their premier publication. It preceded C.A. Loosli’s Die Zeichnungen Ferdinand Hodlers, a print portfolio after 50 drawings by Hodler which was released in Autumn of 1914 at the mid-level price-point of 75-150 Marks; and a third less expensive collection of prints after original works by Hodler, which had not been included in either of the first two portfolios, was released at the end of that year entitled Ferdinand Hodler by Dr. Ewald Bender. The title and timing of DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS' debut leaves little doubt as to the connection it has with another avant-garde portfolio of art prints, Das Werk Gustav Klimts, released in 5 installments from 1908 -1914 by Galerie Miethke in Vienna. Hodler, himself, was involved in Klimt’s ground-breaking project. As the owner of Klimt’s 1901 painting, “Judith with the Head of Holifernes” which appears as the ninth collotype print in the second installment of Das Werk Gustav Klimts, Hodler was obliged to grant access of the painting to the art printers in Vienna for them to create the collotype sometime before 1908. Hodler had been previously invited in 1904 to take part in what would be the last exhibition of the Vienna Secession before Klimt and others associated with Galerie Miethke broke away. In an interview that same year, Hodler indicated that he respected and was impressed by Klimt. Hodler’s esteem for Klimt went beyond the art itself; he emulated Klimt’s method aimed at increasing his market reach and appeal to a wider audience by creating a print portfolio of his painted work. By 1914, Hodler and his publisher had the benefit of hindsight to learn from Klimt’s Das Werk publication. Responding to the sluggish sales of Klimt’s expensive endeavor, Hodler’s publisher devised the same diversified 1-2-3 strategy for selling Hodler’s Das Werk portfolio as they did with regards to all three works on Hodler they published that year. For their premium tier of DAS WERKS FERDINAND HODLERS, R. Piper & Co. issued an exclusive Museum quality edition of 15 examples on which Hodler signed each page. At a cost of 600 Marks, this was generally on par with Klimt’s asking price of 600 Kronen for his Das Werk portfolio. A middle-tiered Preferred edition of 30, costing somewhat less and with Hodler’s signature only on the Title Page, was also available. The General edition, targeting the largest audience with its much more affordable price of 150 Marks, is distinguishable by its smaller size. Rather than use the subscription format Miethke had chosen for Klimt’s portfolios which proved to have had its challenges, R. Piper & Co. employed a different strategy. In addition to instantly gratifying the buyer with all 40 of the prints comprising DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS and the choice among three price points, they advertised in German journals a fourth possibility of ordering single prints from them directly. These printed images are easily discernible from the three complete folio editions. The paper size of the single purchased images is of the larger format like the Museum and Preferred editions, measuring 65 h x 50 w cm; however, the paper itself is the same copper print paper used in the General edition and then mounted on poster board. The publishing house positioned itself to be a direct retailer of Hodler’s art. They astutely recognized the potential for profitability and the importance, therefore, of having proprietary control over his graphic works. R. Piper & Co. owned the exclusive printing rights to Hodler’s best work found in their three publications dating from 1914. That same year, a competing publication out of Weimar entitled Ferdinand Hodler: Ein Deutungsversuch von Hans Muhlestein appeared. Its author, a young scholar, expressed his frustration with the limited availability of printable work by Hodler. In his Author’s Note on page 19, dated Easter, 1914, Muhlestein confirms that the publisher of Hodler’s three works from that same year owned the exclusive reproductive rights to Hodler’s printed original work. He goes further to explain that even after offering to pay to use certain of those images in his book, the publisher refused. Clearly, a lot of jockeying for position in what was perceived as a hot market was occurring in 1914. Instead, their timing couldn’t have been more ill-fated, and what began with such high hopes suddenly found a much different market amid a hostile climate. The onset of WWI directly impacted sales. Many, including Ferdinand Hodler, publicly protested the September invasion by Germany of France in which the Reims Cathedral, re-built in the 13th century, was shelled, destroying priceless stained glass and statuary and burning off the iron roof and badly damaging its wooden interior. Thomas Gaehtgens, Director of the Getty Research Institute describes how the bombing of Reims Cathedral triggered blindingly powerful and deeply-felt ultra-nationalistic responses: “The event profoundly shocked French intellectuals, who for the most part had an intense admiration for German literature, music and art. By relying on press accounts and abstracting from the visual propagandistic content, they were unable to interpret the siege of Reims without turning away from German culture in disgust. Similarly, the German intelligentsia and bourgeoisie were also shocked to find themselves described as vandals and barbarians. Ninety-three writers, scientists, university professors, and artists signed a protest, directed against the French insults, that defended the actions of the German army.” In similar fashion, a flurry of open letters published in German newspapers and journals as well as telegrams and postcards sent directly to Hodler following his outcry in support of Reims reflected the collectively critical reaction to Hodler’s position. Loosli documents that among the list of telegrams Hodler received was one from none other than his publisher in Germany, R.Piper & Co. Allegiances were questioned. The market for Hodler in Germany immediately softened. Matters worsened for the publisher beyond the German backlash to Hodler and his loss of appeal in the home market; with the war in full swing until 1918, there was little chance a German publisher would have much interest coming from outside of Germany and Austria. Following the war and Hodler’s death in 1918, the economy in Germany continued to spiral out and just 5 years later, hyper-inflation had rendered its currency worthless vis-a-vis its value in the pre-war years. Like the economy, Hodler’s reputation was slow to find currency in these difficult times. Even many French art fans had turned sour on Hodler as they considered his long-standing relationship in German and Austrian art circles. Thus, the portfolio’s rarity in Hodler’s lifetime and, consequently, the availability of these printed images from DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS since his death has been scarce. In many ways, Hodler and his portfolios were casualties of war. Thwarted from their intended purpose of reaching a wide audience and show-casing Parallelisme, Hodler’s unique approach to art, this important, undated work has been both elusive and shrouded in mystery. Perhaps DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS was left undated as a means of affirming the timelessness of Hodler’s art. Digging back into the past, Hodler’s contemporaries, like R. Piper, C.A. Loosli and Hans Muhlestein, indeed provide the keys to unequivocally clarify what has largely been mired in obscurity. Just after Hodler’s death, the May, 1918 issue of the Burlington Review ran a small column which opined hope for better access to R.Piper & Co.’s DAS WERK FERDINAND HODLERS; 100 years later, it is finally possible. Hodler’s voice rings out through these printed works. Once more, his modern approach to depicting portraits, landscapes and grand scale scenes of Swiss history speak to us of what is universal. Engaging with any one of these images is the chance to connect to Hodler’s vision and his world view- weltanschauung in German, vision du monde in French- however one expresses these concepts through language, its message embedded in his work is the same: “We differ from one another, but we are like each other even more. What unifies us is greater and more powerful than what divides us.” Today, Hodler’s art couldn’t be more timely. FERDINAND HODLER (SWISS, 1853-1918) explored Parallelisme through figurative poses evocative of music, dance and ritual. His images of sex, night, desertion and death as well as his many landscapes exploring the universal longing for harmony with Nature are unique and important works embodying a Symbolist paradigm. Truly a Modern Master, Hodler’s influence can be felt in the work of Gustav Klimt and Kolomon Moser and subsequent Expressionist artists such as Egon Schiele. He was born into an impoverished family in Bern, Switzerland in 1853. His entire family succumbed to tuberculosis, and he was orphaned by the age of 13, the only surviving child among his 13 siblings. In the absence of family, the influence and guidance which his art instructors provided Hodler was foundational and profound. Hodler began formal studies in 1872 at the Geneva School of Design. Under Barthelemy Menn, Hodler was drawn to the ordered beauty of Euclidian geometry and Durer’s fundamentals of human proportion that proved to be guiding principles informing his art throughout his life. By the 1880s, Hodler began to enjoy some recognition for his work which put him on a new path towards stability. Remaining in Geneva, he became assistant to the well-known muralist, Edouard Castres. Following his first solo show in 1885, Hodler’s work took on a Symbolist quality. He frequently associated with a group of Swiss Symbolist...

Category

1910s Symbolist Art

Materials

Paper

19th Century Balinese Wood Sculpture of Shiva Standing On The Bull Nandi
19th Century Balinese Wood Sculpture of Shiva Standing On The Bull Nandi

19th Century Balinese Wood Sculpture of Shiva Standing On The Bull Nandi

Located in Lake Worth Beach, FL

19th Century Shiva Standing On The Bull Nandi Wood Carving with polychrome paint. 27"hight, 12"width, 18"depth. A rare figure of Shiva or Shiva standing on the bull Nandi. Bali, 1...

Category

19th Century Symbolist Art

Materials

Wood, Paint

Symbolist painting on canvas, large painting of life on a tightrope.
Symbolist painting on canvas, large painting of life on a tightrope.

Symbolist painting on canvas, large painting of life on a tightrope.

Located in La Canada Flintridge, CA

The painting size is 47"x39.25" on canvas. Artist signed lower left . This imaginative acrylic painting presents a whimsical, dreamlike scene blending fantasy with architectural cha...

Category

2010s Symbolist Art

Materials

Acrylic

Carthage
Carthage

Théodore RivièreCarthage, 1895

$9,229Sale Price|20% Off

Carthage

By Théodore Rivière

Located in PARIS, FR

"Carthage" also known as "Salammbô at Mathô, I Love You! I Love You" by Théodore RIVIERE (1857-1912) A bronze group with a nuanced greenish brown patina Signed on the base " Théodor...

Category

Late 19th Century Symbolist Art

Materials

Bronze

Tamar, Original Lithograph, Modern, 1960, Excellent
Tamar, Original Lithograph, Modern, 1960, Excellent

Tamar, Original Lithograph, Modern, 1960, Excellent

By Marc Chagall

Located in OPOLE, PL

Marc Chagall (1887-1985) - Tamar Original Lithograph from 1960. Dimensions of work: 35 x 26 cm. Publisher: Tériade, Paris. Reference: Mourlot 243. On the reverse: another origina...

Category

1960s Symbolist Art

Materials

Lithograph

'The Queen of the Night' pastel on paper by Paul Ott
'The Queen of the Night' pastel on paper by Paul Ott

'The Queen of the Night' pastel on paper by Paul Ott

Located in London, GB

Paul Ott 'The Queen of the Night' ‍ Pastel on paper 70 x 60 cm, 75 x 66.5 cm (framed) Inscribed 'Koenigin der Nacht' and signed and dated 'Paul Ott and 19' 1919 Ott’s beautiful and...

Category

1910s Symbolist Art

Materials

Paper, Pastel

Towards the Peace - Charcoal Drawing by Carlo Fornara - 1904
Towards the Peace - Charcoal Drawing by Carlo Fornara - 1904

Towards the Peace - Charcoal Drawing by Carlo Fornara - 1904

By Carlo Fornara

Located in Roma, IT

Charcoal drawing,1904. Dimensions: 62 x 50 cm Provenance: Galleria d’Arte Moderna Alberto Grubicy, Milan. A number of symbolist drawings done by Fornara in 1902 are known, includin...

Category

Early 1900s Symbolist Art

Materials

Charcoal

Ex Libris G. Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed
Ex Libris G. Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Ex Libris G. Sabattini, Woodcut, Early 20th Century, Unframed

Located in Roma, IT

Woodcut print on paper, after a sicteenth-century view of the city of Bologna. Not signed nor numbered. A finely conceived Ex Libris created for Gino Sabattini, inspired by one of ...

Category

Early 20th Century Symbolist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Portrait de Jeune Fille Portrait of a Girl 1970  original aquatint Leonor Fini

Portrait de Jeune Fille Portrait of a Girl 1970 original aquatint Leonor Fini

By Leonor Fini

Located in Paonia, CO

Portrait de Jeune Fille is a haunting portrait of a young girl also known as .. Justine… she could be either fading into the distance or just materializing out of a dream state. Her hair and the air around her is in shades of pale blue and the background is the white of the paper. This is a limited edition ( 170/300) aquatint , signed in the plate. In good condition with a 1" repaired tear midway on the right border which will not show when framed. Argentinian-born artist Leonor Fini (1907-1996) is considered one of the great female artists of the twentieth century. She moved to Paris in the early 1930’s where she spent most of her life and almost immediately formed friendships with Salvador Dali, Cartier- Bresson, Max Ernst and other intellectuals of the time. At twenty five she had her first one person show in Paris and was included in the 1936 pivotal exhibition at MOMA…Fantastic Art, Dada and Surrealism…..and that same year had an exhibition at a famous avant garde gallery in New York. Although Fini never considered herself a Surrealist she maintained close personal relationships with several members of the group. One can see how their ideology influenced her work but she remained firmly rooted in the tradition of Symbolism, Metaphysics and Italian and German Romanticism Her works can be found in most important collections of modern art around the world. Fini was renowned as a portraitist and as a painter of erotic sexual tensions with a mysterious atmosphere. She was adamant about being independent and not belonging to any one group. She lived life on her own terms and is sometimes referred to as …..the female Dali. She was also involved with designing for fashion and creating elaborate sets for opera and theatre. As a feminist she was definitely ahead of the times. She produced the first erotic male nude...

Category

20th Century Symbolist Art

Materials

Aquatint

Pirates attack the Castle on the Sea - Original Woodcut by J.J. Weber - 1898

Pirates attack the Castle on the Sea - Original Woodcut by J.J. Weber - 1898

By Arnold Bocklin (After)

Located in Roma, IT

Image dimensions: 23 x 35 cm. Original Title: Von Piraten überfallene Burg am Meer Pirates attack the Castle on the sea is a black and white xylograph on Japon applied on ivory-colored paper, after Arnold Böcklin...

Category

1890s Symbolist Art

Materials

Woodcut

Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Signed, 1947, Unframed
Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Signed, 1947, Unframed

Ex Libris Gino Sabattini, Woodcut, Signed, 1947, Unframed

Located in Roma, IT

Woodcut print on cream wove paper. Monogrammed and dated "PW 47" in the block (center right); signed "Wolbrand" in pencil (lower margin). A beautifully stark and highly philosophic...

Category

1940s Symbolist Art

Materials

Etching

Emil Kazaz, Contemporary Symbolist Composition, Oil on Paper, 1990s
Emil Kazaz, Contemporary Symbolist Composition, Oil on Paper, 1990s

Emil Kazaz, Contemporary Symbolist Composition, Oil on Paper, 1990s

By Emil Kazaz

Located in La Canada Flintridge, CA

Emil Kazaz — Oil on Paper, 22 × 30 inches Signed lower right This dynamic oil on paper exemplifies Kazaz’s signature figurative style, featuring a lively composition of stylized hum...

Category

1990s Symbolist Art

Materials

Oil

Sisyphus - Héliogravure by Jan Mesker - 1890

Sisyphus - Héliogravure by Jan Mesker - 1890

Located in Roma, IT

Sisyphus is a print realized by Jan Mesker after Antonio Zanchi, after Salvator Rosa in 1877/1890. Héliogravure on paper. Signed on the plate. Good conditions.

Category

1890s Symbolist Art

Materials

Photogravure

Symbolist art for sale on 1stDibs.

Find a wide variety of authentic Symbolist art available for sale on 1stDibs. Works in this style were very popular during the 21st Century and Contemporary, but contemporary artists have continued to produce works inspired by this movement. If you’re looking to add art created in this style to introduce contrast in an otherwise neutral space in your home, the works available on 1stDibs include elements of orange, blue, green, red and other colors. Many Pop art paintings were created by popular artists on 1stDibs, including Michel Fingesten, Abel Pann, Franz von Bayros (Choisi Le Conin), and Ferdinand Hodler & R. Piper & Co.. Frequently made by artists working with Paint, and Oil Paint and other materials, all of these pieces for sale are unique and have attracted attention over the years. Not every interior allows for large Symbolist art, so small editions measuring 1.58 inches across are also available. Prices for art made by famous or emerging artists can differ depending on medium, time period and other attributes. On 1stDibs, the price for these items starts at $55 and tops out at $378,675, while the average work sells for $863.