Australian Symbolism The Art of Dreams

By Denise Mimmoccho

Featuring paintings, sculpture, photographs and decorative arts, Australian Symbolism is the only book on this subject and provides a fresh context for the work of some of the most well-known Australian artists of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

It investigates two main streams of symbolist art: those artists - such as Rupert Bunny, Bertram Mackennal and George Lambert - who trained or worked overseas and drew directly from European Symbolistr genres; and those working here - such as Charles Conder, Arthur Streeton and Shydney Long - who defined a local experience.

Enormously popular in Europe in the late 19th century, Symbolism was an international art movement which spread to Australia through artists travelling to Europe, but also European artists travelling to Australia.

Symbolism was not so much a style as a way of looking at the world, emphasising ideas over material realities.