Emotions are very important to include in paintings, because we can not paint emotions directly we have to paint them using symbolism. Here is some of the popular symbolism used for painting love and death.

Love Symbols:
• Red – color used for love and passion
• Heart – the symbol to show love. The heart is used because it is believed to be the center of our Christianity.
• Lips are used for kissing, so they are obviously the portrait to use to show passion. To show more intensity with your love portrait, painting lips with very bright red lips will accentuate what you would want to express.
• To show that a person is passionately in love a heart with an arrow piercing it is used. This symbol explains why love is both painful and pleasurable.
• Lost love is symbolized by a broken heart. This usually means that a lover was spurned and pain. Being heartbroken is for persons who are extremely saddened by their loss of love.
• Cupid represents the Roman god of love. When his arrows pierce the hearts of people they have no choice but to fall in love. Eros is also the same, a winged boy carrying an arrow as well.
• Rosemary – used for remembrance and fidelity.
• Mistletoe – is used to symbolize the spirit of love on Christmas. Probably to symbolize the opportunistic people who would want to get a free kiss under mistletoe.
• Wedding rings represents loyalty and being together forever.
• Roses are another symbol of love and passion.

Death Symbols:
• The color black is used to symbolize death because this color is often associated with the underworld.
• White is also used to symbolize death. In some parts of the east white is used to symbolize death.
• Skull with two cross bones symbolizes a person is near death. Associated with pirates who will be awaiting death. Now it is also used to symbolize poisons.
• Scythe symbolizes the Grimm Reaper harvesting the bad souls or killing people. It was based from the harvest ceremonies of pagans.
• Heralds of death are usually depicted by crows, ravens and other carrion-feeding black birds.
• Vultures
• Angels are used as symbols because they are intermediaries of your soul between heaven and hearth.
• Cypress trees are trees that are planted where dead bodies lie because it is believed to preserve the bodies.

If you would love to depict images of visions and love to your already great painting, just adding this symbolism can tell people what added message you would like to convey. This will also be more wonderful for others because they will say that the painting has got certain symbolisms that make it more intriguing.