Abstract: Symbols include the two aspects of signifier and significativeness, and they can be distinguished into the three forms of sign, picture and symbol. More often than not, artistic symbols are pictures or what must be restored to pictures. Their signifier and significativeness relation is most complicated. So far as direct significativeness is concerned, artistic symbols generally belong to the secondary language, but they have the connotations of the language and the superlanguage simultaneously. That results in their capability of demonstrating people’s state of existence and spiritual homestead entirely.

Key words: symbol, art, three levels, the secondary language, the superlanguage