Symbolism of Jan Toorop (1858–1928). Between fantasy and reality

This article touches upon the problem of Jan Toorop's artwork and investigates the chief principles of symbolism in his painting. As a unit linking the achievements of impressionism, symbolism, divisionism and his own attainments his art signifies a particular period in Dutch fine art. Toorop is considered to be a symbolist first of all. His devotion to the aesthetic of this tendency was evident not only during the heyday of symbolism in Netherlands between 1890–1900. It extends for his whole life and thanks to variety of his creative interests finds different stylistic interpretations. His special artistic vision, trained basically on the first discoveries of French modernism, originality of his style, his keenness, creative energy and the people he worked with (Moris Meterlink, artists of “Les Vingt”) and was fascinated by (Vincent van Gogh, William Morris, Richard Wagner, Paul Verlaine) — all this made up the personality of this artist. With the purpose of revealing the main principles of Toorop's artistic technique the article includes the analysis of his several paintings: “Trio fleuri” 1885; “Wanderers in the Dunes” 1891; “Young Generation” 1892. In his art Jan Toorop interweaves symbolic images and intuitive revelations, combines real motives a nd fantastic ones. His personal perception of the world around, the touches that he brought in painting altogether promoted the appearance of the new concept. This concept absorbing the typical traits of Art Nouveau determined precisely different Dutch version of its interpretation.