Symbols and their meanings.Symbols and their meanings.
Before the growth of "salons" and private exhibitions in the 18th century, most paintings and other works of art had no fixed titles. Artists used a range of symbols to help viewers identify the subject of a picture. Saints, mythological characters, historical or religious events all had their own particular sets of associated artefacts. For example the four evangelists are always depicted as winged creatures each with his own specific attribute;
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Matthew is shown as a man Mark as a lion Luke as an ox John as an eagle |
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All four together, often arranged at the extremities of a cross, symbolise the New Testament of the Bible. A lady standing next to a wooden wheel is probably Saint Catherine. If you see a man dressed in long robes holding his decapitated head under his arm, this is not Frankenstein's monster but probably Saint Denis. A headless woman carrying her own head is probably Saint Valery (associated with St Martial of Limoges). Characters from Greek mythology all have their own recognisable attributes: |
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A man with a club and wearing a lion skin - Hercules A man riding in a chariot drawn by four horses -Apollo as the sun-god An athletic woman with a bow and arrow, accompanied by dogs or a stag could be the Goddess Diana. We all recognise Cupid with his bow and arrow. |
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Other symbols may be more general, such as colour and spatial organisation of elements. Here is a list of some symbols used in Western art essentially up until the end of the 18th century.
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