Symbolism

A movement in the arts influenced by Romanticism and idealist philosophies, notably the Platonic conception of the world of inner or metaphysical realities. Symbolism is best explained by the long list of names of its practitioners in the several arts with their divergent styles than it is by a single definition, but most symbolists sought the inner vision of the 'thing in itself', thus revealing on a priori epistemological preoccupation inspired by mysticism. Symbolism at its best was evocative. At its worse it was pretentious mystification.