Mystical Symbolism

The Guggenheim Museum featured an impressive exhibition during the summer of 2017 titled, Mystical Symbolism: The Salon de la Rose+Croix in Paris, 1892–1897.

Key international symbolist artists, poets, and musicians of this period explored themes of greek mythology, as well as the concept of the femme fatale and the femme fragile, within the guise of mystical spiritualism.

The Symbolist movement, a late 19th-century trend that reacted against Naturalism and Realism, rejected the everyday blankness of modern life and strove for spiritual and aesthetic heights in their works.

Related themes are explored in many of the poems included in "What The Moon Asks Of Us.” Look for similar nuances in style, symbolism, and imagery while you read Picasso’s Women, Pelican Girls, Hurricane, Alchemy, and Creation Myth.

I welcome your comments and interpretations.

For related links and more information about the Rose+Crois Exhibition: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cNzJ-pOa0l8

Enjoy this audio playlist of poems by symbolist poets who may have been inspired by the Rose+Croix artists. Read by poet Tom Healy and curated by The Guggenheim Museum: https://www.guggenheim.org/audio/playlist/symbolist-poetry-and-the-salon-de-la-rosecroix