Click here for the interactive version!

Symbols have been important to artists from the very earliest times. They often represent an idea or quality, for example the colour white usually stands for purity and the lion makes us think of courage.

Because works of art don't usually include words, symbols are used in order to tell the viewer a message or even a story. When we look at a painting, we probably miss most of its meaning. This is especially true today, as we are not always aware of symbols which were understood in the past.

The artists from the list of paintings below, have all used symbols to give their work more meaning. Choose a painting to investigate or look at how colour can effect the meaning of a painting...