The collective monograph "The Connection of Times: Art History in the Context of Symbolism" is the result of fundamental humanitarian research in the framework of the scientific project "Symbolism against the Background of Art History" (2017-2019). Leading domestic and foreign experts in the field of studying the art of modern and modern times took part in the work. Through the prism of symbolism, one of the dominant artistic trends of the late XIX-early XX centuries, the authors consider changes in the principles of creative thinking in art of the modern era, analyze the influence of this process on further figurative searches of the XX-XXI centuries.