Kōkiri Learn

Background reading · The Arts

Symbols in art: saying more than you show

How artists use symbols, colour and composition to carry ideas, and how to use cultural symbols respectfully.

A symbol is something that stands for something else. A heart for love, a broken chain for freedom. Artists use symbols so a work can say more than what it literally shows.

Tools artists use

  • Elements: line, shape, colour, texture, space and form.
  • Principles: emphasis (where the eye goes first), contrast, balance, repetition and hierarchy.
  • Symbols and motifs: shapes, objects or patterns that carry meaning.

    • Colour carries feeling

    Warm colours often feel energetic or urgent; cool colours calm or distant. But colour meanings change between cultures, so think about who is looking.

    Cultural symbols

    Many symbols belong to particular cultures and carry deep meaning, for example Māori and Pacific patterns and forms. Before using one, find out what it means, where it comes from and whether it is appropriate for you to use. Ask your teacher, and where possible, the community it belongs to. You can always create your own symbol instead.

    Reading an artwork

    Describe what you see. Analyse how it is made. Interpret what it might mean. Then judge: does it work, and for whom?

    Sources and further reading

    Written for Kōkiri Learn students in our own words. Check facts against the sources.

    Used in: He Kōrero Auaha: Art That Speaks, Transforming Ideas into Form