ABSTRACT
In an 1891 letter written to a friend and fellow Symbolist painter, Emile Bernard described his dream of founding a communal brotherhood of artists. In his glorification of artistic anonymity, Bernard was joined by many other Symbolists. Indeed, many Symbolist paintings of the early 1890s are marked by a strong similarity of style, which render them anonymous to the uninitiated viewer. This chapter explores one aspect of the Symbolists' attempt, and ultimate failure, to resist the inevitable commodification of art in the late nineteenth century. While very much a part of the larger artistic network, the Symbolist artists attempted to deny the impact of such economic realities on their work, obfuscating their own contribution to this phenomenon. Their writings and declarations are rife with scorn for the art market, and for the artist who would sacrifice his 'ideal' mission for the sake of economic prosperity.
