Simeon Solomon

Key facts

Lived

1840–1905, British

Movement

• Pre-Raphaelite

Works held in

7 museums

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• What is Simeon Solomon known for?+

  Simeon Solomon is known for his paintings that combined Jewish religious subjects with sensuality. He is also known for his drawings, which were influenced by Rossetti and Swinburne. He drew for wood engravings in *Once a Week*, *Good Words*, and *Leisure Hour*.
• What is Simeon Solomon's most famous work?+

  It is difficult to name one single work as Simeon Solomon's most famous. He produced a varied body of work, including paintings, drawings, and illustrations. Solomon explored themes of love, desire, and religious identity, often drawing inspiration from the Hebrew Bible and mythology. He is associated with the later Pre-Raphaelites, and his work shares some traits with Aestheticism and Decadence. Some of his well-known pieces include 'The Sleepers, and One That Watcheth' (circa 1870), a watercolour featuring androgynous figures in a dreamlike setting; 'Sappho and Erinna at Mytilene' (1864), depicting the Greek poet Sappho with a female companion; and 'Bacchus' (1867), an exploration of classical mythology with homoerotic undertones. The subjects and treatment in Solomon's art caused considerable discussion during his lifetime.
• What should I know about Simeon Solomon's prints?+

  Simeon Solomon produced relatively few original prints. His printmaking occurred primarily in the 1860s and 1870s, during his most successful period as a painter and draughtsman. Solomon created etchings and wood engravings. Examples include illustrations for *Dalziels' Bible Gallery* (1863) and *A Vision of Love Revealed in Sleep* (1871). These demonstrate his interest in biblical subjects and Pre-Raphaelite aesthetics. His prints often share themes with his paintings, exploring beauty, love, and spirituality. Solomon's prints are characterised by delicate lines and a dreamlike atmosphere. After his arrest in 1873, Solomon's career declined sharply. He produced fewer original works and relied more on selling drawings and reproductions of earlier pieces. Prints after Solomon's art were made by various commercial printmakers, further expanding the availability of his images. These later prints vary in quality and faithfulness to the originals. Collectors should pay attention to the print's provenance and compare it to known examples of Solomon's original work.
• What style or movement did Simeon Solomon belong to?+

  Simeon Solomon is associated with the second wave of Pre-Raphaelite painters. This second wave included Frederic Leighton, John William Waterhouse, and Evelyn De Morgan. Solomon met Rossetti and Burne-Jones, and they admired his talent. His drawings show Rossetti's influence. Solomon exhibited drawings on religious themes at the Royal Academy from 1858 to 1872. His early work borrowed from the Pre-Raphaelites, with dense, fine pen work and attenuated figures reminiscent of Rossetti. One etching by Solomon, The Haunted House, was published in *Poems of Thomas Hood*, 1858. Later, Solomon explored a more symbolist tone with deviations on classical and religious themes. Some Pre-Raphaelite artists moved closer to Symbolism from the 1870s onward.
• What techniques or materials did Simeon Solomon use?+

  Simeon Solomon worked across several media, including oils, watercolours, chalk and pencil. While specific details about his techniques are scarce, analysis of James McNeill Whistler's methods, who was a contemporary, provides some context. Whistler often used heavy canvases, applying thin grounds to maintain texture. He prepared his own grounds, sometimes using a light grey imprimatura of oil paint. Later, he favoured darker grey, exploiting it to develop chiaroscuro effects. For darker grounds, he mixed ivory black and lead white, modifying them with other pigments. Whistler's palette arrangement is well documented, with colours laid out in a specific order: Prussian blue, cobalt blue, raw umber, yellow ochre, lead white, vermilion, and black. He mixed colours on his palette before applying them to the canvas. He also used many brushes during a single sitting, cleaning and preparing them carefully. Like Whistler, Solomon likely experimented with materials and techniques.
• What was Simeon Solomon known for?+

  Simeon Solomon, born in London in 1840, was a painter and illustrator associated with the Pre-Raphaelites. He came from an artistic family; both his siblings, Abraham and Rebecca, were also artists. Solomon trained at the Royal Academy Schools from 1855 and began exhibiting there in 1858. Solomon's early drawing style was influenced by Rossetti and Swinburne. He produced illustrations for periodicals such as *Once a Week* (1862) and *Good Words* (1866). He also created designs on religious subjects for the Dalziels’ *Bible Gallery* in 1880 and illustrations of Jewish customs for *Leisure Hour* in 1866. He created one etching, *The Haunted House*, for the Junior Etching Club’s *Poems of Thomas Hood* (1858). Some considered his dense, fine pen work and attenuated figures reminiscent of Rossetti, but others found them unique. One critic described his drawings as filled with a strange, sad, exotic atmosphere. Later in life, Solomon faced personal difficulties and was imprisoned. He continued to produce drawings and pastels to support himself; these were popular in the 1880s and 1890s. He died in 1905.
• When did Simeon Solomon live and work?+

  Simeon Solomon was born in London in 1840 and died there in 1905. He came from an artistically inclined family; his siblings Abraham and Rebecca were also painters. Solomon began his artistic training at the Royal Academy Schools. He soon became associated with the Pre-Raphaelites, exhibiting at the Royal Academy between 1858 and 1872. His early work often depicted biblical scenes and Jewish life, reflecting his religious background. Paintings such as "The Mother of Moses" (1860) and "Reading the Law in the Synagogue" (1861) are examples of this period. Later, Solomon's art took on a more aesthetic and symbolic character, influenced by figures such as Dante Gabriel Rossetti and Algernon Charles Swinburne. These works often explored themes of love, beauty, and androgyny, sometimes with a homoerotic sensibility. In 1873, Solomon's personal life took a tragic turn when he was arrested for homosexual offences. This event led to social ostracism and a decline in his artistic career. Although he continued to produce art, he struggled with poverty and alcoholism for the remainder of his life. He died in a workhouse in 1905.
• Where can I see Simeon Solomon's work?+

  Simeon Solomon's work can be viewed in several museums. In the United Kingdom, these include the Brighton Museum & Art Gallery, Manchester Art Gallery, the National Museums of Scotland (Royal Museum) in Edinburgh, and the Victoria & Albert Museum in London. Other locations include the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York; the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA); the Minneapolis Institute of Arts; the Royal Ontario Museum in Toronto; and the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, Virginia. You can also find his pieces at the Yale University Art Gallery in New Haven, and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem. It is always advisable to check a museum's website or contact them directly to confirm that specific works by Solomon are on display, as collections and exhibitions can change.
• Where was Simeon Solomon from?+

  Simeon Solomon was born in London on 9 October 1840. He came from a family of artists; both his siblings, Abraham and Rebecca, were also artists. In 1855, Solomon began training at the Royal Academy Schools, and he started exhibiting there from 1858. Solomon's drawing was influenced by Rossetti and Swinburne. He produced illustrations for wood engravings, which appeared in *Once a Week* in 1862 and *Good Words* in 1866. He also created *Jewish Customs* for *Leisure Hour* in 1866, in addition to several religious designs for the Dalziels’ *Bible Gallery* in 1880. Solomon produced one etching and around thirty-five illustrations, mainly of religious and Hebraic subjects, which were published in *Good Words*, *Once a Week*, and *The Leisure Hour*. His early work borrowed from the Pre-Raphaelites; his dense, fine pen work and attenuated figures are reminiscent of Rossetti. Simeon Solomon died of chronic alcoholism in St Giles workhouse on 14 August 1905.
• Who did Simeon Solomon influence?+

  Simeon Solomon's work had an impact on several artists and movements. His early drawings, especially those with religious themes, show the influence of Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Solomon met Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones, and others in their circle, who admired his talent. His drawings, done very much under the influence of Rossetti, were exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1858 to 1872. Later in his career, Solomon explored a more symbolist tone, with deviations on classical and religious themes. Symbolism, which began as a literary movement, championed imagination as the most important source of creativity. It filtered into the visual arts as a reaction to Realism and Impressionism. Symbolist painters used emotive colours and stylised images to float their visions and moods into the viewer's consciousness, sometimes painting exotic, dream-like scenes. Solomon's work, with its mysterious and grotesque elements, fits within this context.
• Who influenced Simeon Solomon?+

  Simeon Solomon's drawing style was influenced by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Solomon met Rossetti, Edward Burne-Jones, and others within their circle; they admired his talent. Solomon produced several notable drawings on religious themes, exhibiting these at the Royal Academy from 1858 to 1872. He also drew for wood engravings in *Once a Week* (1862) and *Good Words* (1866), as well as *Jewish Customs* for *Leisure Hour* (1866). He created several designs on religious subjects for the Dalziels' *Bible Gallery* (1880). In 1858, Solomon produced one etching, *The Haunted House*, for the Junior Etching Club's *Poems of Thomas Hood*. This work depicts a lone woman clutching a child in a doorway. Later, Solomon's paintings took on a more symbolist tone with striking deviations on classical and religious themes.
• Who was Simeon Solomon?+

  Simeon Solomon was a painter and illustrator associated with the Pre-Raphaelite movement, born in London on 9 October 1840. He came from an artistic family; his siblings Abraham and Rebecca were also artists. Solomon received training at the Royal Academy Schools from 1855 and began exhibiting there in 1858. His drawings showed the influence of Rossetti and Swinburne. Solomon produced one etching, titled The Haunted House, for the Junior Etching Club’s Poems of Thomas Hood, published in 1858. He also created approximately thirty-five illustrations, mainly on religious and Hebraic subjects, which appeared in periodicals such as Good Words, Once a Week, and The Leisure Hour. His early work borrowed from the Pre-Raphaelites, with dense, fine pen work and attenuated figures reminiscent of Rossetti. Some considered his work unique. Solomon exhibited at the Royal Academy from 1858 to 1872. He died of chronic alcoholism in St Giles workhouse on 14 August 1905.