French Symbolism: Objectifying the Subjective?

Gustave Kahn wrote that the purpose of Symbolism was "to objectify the subjective" in contrast to earlier art that had sought to subjectify the objective. In this piece, James Longford discusses the theoretical background to French Symbolism and whether French artists succeeded in their objectives with reference to works by Gustave Moreau, Odilon Redon, Émile Bernard, Paul Gauguin, and others. This essay is well illustrated and referenced to academic standards with a bibliography..M.F