This beautiful book with Fernand Khnopff’s “The Caress” on the cover, shares 40 color plates with a full description adjacent to the painting and a commentary on the possible artist’s symbolism connected to it. Most of the plates here are considered symbolist, an example is in the visual arts, we can see that in the painting of Gustave (plate 37) Salome which is a theme central to symbolist. Some of the other artists featured are: Emile Barnard, Paul Gauguin, Odilon Redon, Fernand Khnopff. As in the introduction by the author, John Christian, states “symbolists and decadents are impossible to define, their difference is in temperament, scope and achievement where the artist is concerned.” However it is also thought symbolists use natural imagery to describe transcendent ideas. Mallarme uses extensive natural imagery such as the sky, flowers, and sunsets. In symbolism, reality becomes art whereas in decadence art becomes reality. Decadence views books and poetry as a highly powerful art form with intense influential capacity. Out of Print. Condition: Fine Plus.