My Symbolism Deep Dive Journey
Okay so yesterday I was scrolling online and stumbled upon Gustave Moreau’s art. Looked fancy and weirdly magical but honestly? Total confusion at first. Giant paintings filled with ladies in robes, sparkly objects, and mythical creatures just vibing together. Why unicorns? Why random wings? Felt like walking into someone else’s dream without subtitles.
First Thing I Did
Grabbed coffee, sat down with my laptop feeling determined. Typed "Gustave Moreau symbols simple meaning". Tons of art history sites popped up. Words like "mystic" and "allegory" jumped out. Yeah… no. Needed easier info. Added "for beginners" to the search.
The Lightbulb Moment
Found a plain blog talking about symbols like everyday objects holding hidden magic meanings. Made total sense! Here's how I figured it out step by step:
- Zoomed in on ONE painting: Picked "The Apparition" – dude holding a sword staring at a floating ghost lady. Figured smaller pieces are less overwhelming.
- Ignored the Big Picture: Didn't even try understanding the whole story first. Just stared at single objects: Sword. Floating lady's jewels. Weird flowers near his feet.
- Connected to Simple Human Stuff: Sword? Power. Fancy jewels on the ghost? Spiritual status maybe. Flowers? Pure beauty or something fragile. Suddenly it felt less like homework and more like detective work.
- Looked Up ONE Symbol at a Time: Searched "sword meaning symbol art". Read stuff about protection, violence, justice. Then "pearl meaning symbol" – pure heart, wisdom. "Lily flower art symbol" – purity. Wow. Mind starting to connect dots.
The Magic Click
Kept looking at different paintings. Saw a lady in a giant gown standing near winged statues. Used the object method again:
- Wings: Freedom, higher goals, something heavenly.
- Heavy gown: Earthly duties? Being weighed down?
- Her calm stare: Maybe inner peace fighting life’s heaviness?
Holy hell! It wasn't random decoration. Everything meant something visual. Like Morse code painted in feathers and gold leaf.
Putting It All Together
Scrolled Moreau galleries all night feeling like I cracked a secret code. That griffin wasn't just random monster - strength mixing eagle sharpness and lion boldness. Color everywhere wasn't just pretty - red for love OR death, blue for sky thoughts. Changed how I looked at everything. Now when I see angel wings on some cafe mural, I actually see them.
Honest? I used to think art symbolism was for dusty books and boring lectures. Moreau taught me it's pure visual magic hiding in plain sight. Felt like learning to read pictures all over again. Pretty dope realization honestly.
