Ladder - another symbol of surreal art

Surrealism is full of symbols. One of the recurring ones is the staircase and the ladder. These symbols can also be found in the art of Mariusz Lewandowski. Surrealist artists often reference the exploration of the human subconscious, revealing dreams, and pouring hidden aspects of the mind into their works. In relation to the principles of the surrealist movement, the symbol of the ladder can have many meanings.

One of them is the passage between reality and the realm of dreams. It is the ladder that connects the human, physical world with the unreal world of the subconscious, dreams, and imagination. The ladder offers the possibility to enter these normally inaccessible areas, allowing access to different levels of the subconscious. The ladder here can also be a metaphor for escaping the ordinary, mundane existence of a person, limited by everyday reality.

 

 

The ladder can also symbolize an attempt to escape material and mental limitations, representing the effort to ascend to higher levels of knowledge or spirituality. It may symbolize the path to understanding what the mind cannot grasp. It serves as a bridge between consciousness and the unconscious.

Every ladder eventually comes to an end. This makes its use in surrealist paintings symbolic of a path that will inevitably end, though it’s not always clear where. This path may lead to strange, unreal places—or to nowhere at all. In this way, the paradox of human existence can be depicted, where the seemingly straightforward ladder—symbolizing the attempt to find meaning or understand one’s subconscious—might lead to chaos or absurdity. To another world, from which there may be no return if the ladder disappears, topples, or burns. This can create a sense of being lost, symbolizing the uncertainty of what lies at the end of the symbolic ladder. It can highlight an inner dilemma—whether it’s worth the risk to climb it.

 

 

The ladder may also symbolize transformation or the discovery of new stages, representing the psychological evolution of the figure in the painting. It can be interpreted as an attempt to understand the hidden aspects of the human mind.

 

See more symbols in Mariusz Lewandowski's surreal paintings at https://www.lewandowski.art/en_US/c/Fine-art-prints/13 or on the Instagram profile https://www.instagram.com/mariusz_lewandowskiart/