Symbolism was an art movement which spanned thirty years from 1880 to 1910. Artists tried to show meaning through their work by painting symbols and using line and shape to show important aspects. This means the work doesn't necessarily have to look realistic but are usually very personal and reflect a persons opinion on the image they are painting greatly.
Symbolist paintings almost always contain a religious meaning or concept. This is one way in which it was similar from post-impressionism, where artists such as Vincent Van Gough and Paul Gaugin painting in an also non realistic but meaningful style and both artists painted about the decline in religion at that time.
The movement itself originated first in France as it was also a literary movement and French writer Jean Moréas wrote in the daily news paper at the time 'le Figaro' about how he was against the changes in culture and religion at the time. In 1981 Paul Gaugin explained symbolism as a 'subjective vision of an artist expressed through a simplified and non-naturalistic style'
The Image above is an oil painting of 'The Wounded Angel' by Hugo Simberg. It is in a symbolist style as all the attention is drawn towards the angel which represents religion in the centre and the boy looking straight at the spectator of the painting.
I got my information from http://www.theartstory.org/movement-symbolism.htm
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