Symbolist Paintings

Dreams, myth and mood over description, in hushed and jewel-like color.

1880s–1910s. 22 paintings here, dated 1850 to 1912, with works by Odilon Redon, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, Arnold Böcklin and Gustave Moreau. They suit the guest room, dining room and kitchen most often.

22 paintings

The Shepherd's Song, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, 1891, oil on canvas

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes The Shepherd's Song, 1891 The Met

Oedipus and the Sphinx, Gustave Moreau, 1864, oil on canvas

Gustave Moreau Oedipus and the Sphinx, 1864 The Met

Vase of Flowers, Odilon Redon, c. 1905, oil on fabric

Odilon Redon Vase of Flowers, c. 1905 Cleveland Museum of Art

Sleep, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, ca. 1867–70, oil on canvas

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Sleep, ca. 1867–70 The Met

Bouquet in a Chinese Vase, Odilon Redon, ca. 1912–14, oil on canvas

Odilon Redon Bouquet in a Chinese Vase, ca. 1912–14 The Met

Etruscan Vase with Flowers, Odilon Redon, 1900–1910, tempera on canvas

Odilon Redon Etruscan Vase with Flowers, 1900–1910 The Met

Vase of Flowers (Pink Background), Odilon Redon, ca. 1906, oil on canvas

Odilon Redon Vase of Flowers (Pink Background), ca. 1906 The Met

This painting depicts a coastal scene overlooking a quiet shore. At the bottom of the painting, an open sandy expanse leads to blue waters.

Odilon Redon Village by the Sea in Brittany, c. 1880 National Gallery of Art

The painting shows a large bronze vase filled with a bouquet of wildflowers, including white daisies, light blue cornflowers, and bright red poppies and roses.

Odilon Redon Flowers in a Vase, c. 1910 National Gallery of Art

In the center of this painting is a blue vase filled with a variety of flowers in different sizes and colors. The flowers are in shades of orange, pink, yellow, and blue, with green leaves surrounding the blossoms.

Odilon Redon Large Vase with Flowers, c. 1912 National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of various people gathered in a pastoral setting. The scene features a group of nude and partially-clothed people of different ages, including an elderly man who is seated on the left, gesturing to the others around him.

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Rest, c. 1863 National Gallery of Art

Roman Landscape, Arnold Böcklin, ca. 1850–52, oil on canvas, several pieces joined

Arnold Böcklin Roman Landscape, ca. 1850–52 The Met

Ruin by the Sea, Arnold Böcklin, 1881, oil on fabric

Arnold Böcklin Ruin by the Sea, 1881 Cleveland Museum of Art

Symbolic Head, Odilon Redon, c. 1890, oil on paper mounted on canvas

Odilon Redon Symbolic Head, c. 1890 Cleveland Museum of Art

This is a painting of a group of people, mostly men, engaged in laborious activities outdoors. The people are minimally clothed, with small pieces of cloth wrapped around their waists.

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Work, c. 1863 National Gallery of Art

A balding man with peach-colored skin and a drooping white mustache is surrounded by flowers floating in a blue sky with apricot-colored clouds in this vertical painting. He is shown from the waist up facing us at the bottom center.

Odilon Redon Evocation of Roussel, c. 1912 National Gallery of Art

We look across an ochre-yellow field to a band of pearl-white buildings under an azure-blue sky in this horizontal landscape painting. Flecks of red in the lower right corner could be flowers.

Odilon Redon Breton Village, c. 1890 National Gallery of Art

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes The Prodigal Son, probably c. 1879 National Gallery of Art

Inter artes et naturam (Between Art and Nature), Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, ca. 1890–95, oil on canvas

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Inter artes et naturam (Between Art and Nature), ca. 1890–95 The Met

Summer, Pierre Puvis de Chavannes, 1891, oil on fabric

Pierre Puvis de Chavannes Summer, 1891 Cleveland Museum of Art

A pale-skinned young woman with copper-orange hair, wearing a turquoise-blue robe, stands in a pastel-infused landscape in this stylized, vertical painting. The woman fills most of the left half of the composition.

Odilon Redon Pandora, 1910/1912 National Gallery of Art

This is a painting of four people outside of a circular stone wall that contains a statue and several trees. The four people are on the left, next to an opening in the curving wall.

Arnold Böcklin The Sanctuary of Hercules, 1884 National Gallery of Art

Rooms these paintings suit