Art Guide · Styles
Figure and allegory
Myth, symbol and feeling
Figure and allegory paintings tell myths, religious stories or ideas through the human figure. The Birth of Venus, The Kiss and The Scream are examples from different centuries.
Shop Figure and allegory posters Poster prints of these works are in the collection.
Last updated: · Iconica Society editors
In brief
In the Renaissance, Botticelli and Michelangelo told ancient myths and religious stories through idealised figures. The Romantics painted historical events and the Pre-Raphaelites legends. Towards the 20th century, Klimt and Munch turned the figure into a symbol of universal feelings such as love, anxiety and the cycle of life.
Key works
Shop Figure and allegory posters →The KissGustav Klimt, 1907–08 
The Tree of LifeGustav Klimt, 1905–09 
The ScreamEdvard Munch, 1893 
ZodiacAlphonse Mucha, 1896 
The Birth of VenusSandro Botticelli, c. 1485 
The Creation of AdamMichelangelo, c. 1512 
The School of AthensRaffaello, 1509–11 
The Garden of Earthly DelightsHieronymus Bosch, c. 1490–1510
Related pages
- Gustav KlimtPainters
- Edvard MunchPainters
- Alphonse MuchaPainters
- Sandro BotticelliPainters
- MichelangeloPainters
- RaffaelloPainters
- Hieronymus BoschPainters
- Eugène DelacroixPainters
- Francisco GoyaPainters
- Henri RousseauPainters
- John William WaterhousePainters
- Paul GauguinPainters
- Leonardo da VinciPainters
- John Everett MillaisPainters