Symbolism: What does it mean?
Not all images are necessarily symbolic. We can appreciate them as beautiful without any particular interpretation offered or required. Nevertheless, symbolism certainly makes them interesting, especially to us humans who love to find meaning in things.
Simply defined, a symbol is something that represents, stands for, or points to something else. We’re familiar with the idea of dreams containing symbols. We’re familiar with the idea of “interpreting” dreams. Actually, dreams are a type of image. Amy image may be symbolic and is open to interpretation. We might even think of some images as dreams.
Some symbols are universal. Many people from various cultures across history would find similar meanings in a particular image. Water suggests birth, purification, and rejuvenation. The house represents the self. A circle indicates unity and eternity. Carl Jung, the famous psychological theorist, called these images “archetypes.” They represent universal patterns of human thought that reside in our collective unconscious. Instinctively, we react to these images, even though we may not always be conscious of that reaction or the underlying meaning. Some of these symbols date back to pagan beliefs about nature. Others may have evolved from the most basic elements of human psychology, culture, and spirituality.
When you incorporate some of these basic symbols into your photography, there’s a good chance that many people will respond to that universal meaning. Intuitively, they’ll be able to relate to that image and each other’s reaction to it. Happy people splashing in water are being replenished. An untended, dilapidated house is a person in a state of decay. People in a tight circle are strongly joined together.
Interpretations of symbols also can be unique. People from different cultures and backgrounds may find different meanings. For example, colors, which can be highly symbolic, vary in meaning from one culture to another. People can also have their own highly personal symbols based on their unique personality and history. If you saw a baby bird die next to a rose bush, you might associate roses with death.
That’s how symbols work – by that very basic type of thought process known as “association.” We associate this with that. This reminds me of that. The lines of association generated by a symbol may radiate in many directions.
One way to discover the possible meanings of a symbol is to free associate. When you see a particular element of a photograph or image, what does it remind you of? What different things do you associate with it? There may be many possibilities, some of them leading to more interesting memories, ideas, and feelings than others.
Things get a lot more complex, and a lot more interesting, when an image contains a variety of possible symbols. Then you have symbols interacting with symbols, meanings interacting with meanings. And it’s not just the elements of the image interacting with each other, but also the tones, colors, and composition that add to the symbolism and meaning.
How does it all fit together? Again, there may be a whole variety of ways to answer that question, and they will vary from person to person. That’s why we’re fascinated with great works of art. They are replete with all sorts of meanings.
Well, the image above isn’t a great work of art, but let’s use it to keep things simple. What are the different things it could symbolize? There’s no right or wrong answer. Play with the possibilities. Free association as a way to unravel the possible meanings of a symbol works best that way – when we use it to play with an image.
* This image and essay also are part of a book on Photographic Psychology that I’m writing within Flickr.
Comments and faves
ubysideHi,i'mstillalive;) added this photo to his favorites. (46 months ago)
chrystal** (46 months ago | reply)
When I first glanced at this, the first thing I saw was a cross, the symbol of faith and belief, the red to me symbolizes strength, power, love, then the black shadow against the red, reminds me of death for some reason, it's almost like half the photo is light and optimistic and the other half is darkness, thus meaning struggling for a balance.
trykemom (46 months ago | reply)
Well if a cross, the symbol of the union of air, water, ground and fire, then it has been turned on its side. And it is separated from the living green and seems to be burning.
Or John is standing on the wall again. He thinks he's a fly.
Or an inboard motor. I hope it is fast so I can feel the spray of water. Well with the red, maybe go more slowly as we are in lava. Or maybe the setting sun has turned the water and we are traveling on a molten sun beam.
Too bad it isn't moving, I could use the breeze. It is so hot in here the wall is glowing red.
John Suler's PhotoPsychology (46 months ago | reply)
Wonderful associations, aphroditee and sheryl! I never considered the possibility of a cross. But it certainly lends itself to that.
I'm a FAN of all possible interpretations ;-)
Oh, and sheryl, I wasn't standing on the wall this time. Just laying on the floor, resting. Sometimes I may be in the most mundane of situations, and, in order to amuse myself, I look around and say to myself, "hm, if I was going to take some shots here, what would they be?"
cosmicmonkey33 (46 months ago | reply)
humm...a representation of the yin / yang, dark / light, left / right etc., also air / water / earth / fire in the elements of color and shape......the fan blades offer balancing movement to stir it all up and make all "one"....there is even a small patch of clear, bright white light near the center of the picture under the fan blades....purity out of chaos: )
Rick Howe [deleted] (46 months ago | reply)
silliness, playfulness, disorientation
sunrizr (46 months ago | reply)
a rather lonely feeling, looking up at a ceiling at a still object that is meant for movement. It's very nicely taken tho and your writings are well worth the linger at your images
wimdejonge (46 months ago | reply)
Universal symbolism... mmmm.
So, do we give meaning to our dreams by the explanations we have learnt to give to the symbols, or are they indeed universal, and recognised by everyone to represent similar meaning? In other words, do we make stuff up, or do we truly observe what is there?
John Suler's PhotoPsychology (46 months ago | reply)
More great interpretations! Thanks rick, cosmic, and sunrizer.
Wim, I'm not sure there's a difference between finding and creating meaning.
wimdejonge (46 months ago | reply)
Me neither :-)
But I think its fun to consider different perspectives (which is what this image is all about to me).
trykemom (46 months ago | reply)
And change the symbols when we need to.
John Suler's PhotoPsychology (46 months ago | reply)
different perspectives is what photography is all above, right wim!
... if we can, sheryl... sometimes we humans get very stuck...
jhightower photography (46 months ago | reply)
Hmmm?? Wind, flight, freedom.
krystalpitts1 (46 months ago | reply)
To me it kind of represents time. sometimes it goes by fast. and sometimes it goes by slow. sometimes it seems to stop altogether.
*angela* (46 months ago | reply)
When I read the word "symbol" I immediately thought "sign", literally. The perspective in this shot, at first glance, leads my eyes to believe that the fan is perpendicular to the ceiling and not actually on the ceiling, but on the wall...hanging the way a sign would. The first "sign" that comes to mind with the blades being, or seeming to be, stationary is the universal symbol for radiation. Then I imagine the blades beginning to move for the slightest second which causes me to associate that movement with the symbol for biohazard. Maybe my first perception, of the fan being on the wall, is causing me to subconsciously think of potential danger?
Slackerus Maximus (46 months ago | reply)
Sorry, I don't see any symbolism. Except maybe my brother is a fan of weird shots. Ha :-P
Hey, did you know that Carl Jung appears on the cover (top row) of Sgt Peppers Lonely Heart Club Band? But Freud isn't.
John Suler's PhotoPsychology (46 months ago | reply)
I like that, kayaker and krystal! Time and freedom!
I hadn't considered the biohazard symbol, angela! And the idea of danger makes sense, given the precarious angle of the shot. Thanks for describing your interpretation!
Hey Rob, I think that Freud *is* on the cover. I did a quick search, and people say that he's just barely visible behind Bob Dylan. I'll have to check the photo or the actual album cover to be sure.
Slackerus Maximus (46 months ago | reply)
I just rechecked it and he's not there. Simon Rodia (creator of Watts Towers) is behind Dylan. You think Freud absence is a Freudian slip? Ha.
John Suler's PhotoPsychology (46 months ago | reply)
I just checked too and that's definitely not Freud. In fact, I can't see him anywhere in there. It's interesting that lots of web sites list Freud as one of the people on the album cover. Maybe he actually is there, but because he's all about the unconscious, he may be buried beneath everyone else...
c.tabler (46 months ago | reply)
it reminds me on the starting scene in Apocalypse Now (one of my favorite movies). The main actor is lying below such a ventilator.
this example may be interesting because it show how much it depends on the viewer's own history what he sees in an image. In fact, I found this initially a bit annoying when I discovered that there is hardly any way to define "good art". I
John Suler's PhotoPsychology (46 months ago | reply)
Yeah, ct ... that's why I thought this image might work for that reason. It tends to pull for a person's individual symbolism rather than archetypal ones.
Confused-Hair (45 months ago | reply)
When I seen this shot at first glance I thought it was a cross sticking into some part of the human body, with the redness being the angry irritated skin.
I had to look for a while to figure out it wasnt.
John Suler's PhotoPsychology (45 months ago | reply)
The first, gut-level reaction to an image is always fascinating, CH!
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