Solomon J. Solomon, The Breakfast Table, 1921
Oil on canvas
Solomon Solomon was born in London on September 16, 1860. He studied art at Heatherley’s Art School, the Royal Academy Schools and the Ecole des Beaux Arts in Paris. He showed his first painting at the Royal Academy in 1881 and continued showing there for forty years, becoming the first Jewish Royal Academician.
Solomon specialised in painting people, both portraits and dramatic historical or biblical scenes. He became one of Britain’s most successful portrait painters. His commissions included several of the Royal family, as well as leading professional men, including politicians.
In 1897 he married and had three children. Solomon’s wife and children often posed as his models and he painted numerous informal pictures of his own family life and ‘wedding portraits’ of his relatives. His wife helped lay out colours for him and washed his brushes.
During World War I he designed camouflage for concealing guns from the air, as well as for tanks and aeroplanes. He sculpted dummy heads to attract fire so that snipers could be found. He also developed hollow, metal and bark-covered Observational Post Trees where lookouts could hide along the front line. After the war he continued painting portraits right up until his death on 27 July 1927.
Examples of work by Solomon J. Solomon in the Ben Uri
The Field: The Artist’s Daughter on a Pony
Signed (with monogram)
Oil on canvas
146 x 184 cm
Reclining Woman
Signed with initials
Oil on canvas laid panel
24.2 x 23 cm
Examples of works by Solomon J. Solomon in other collections
Tate Collection
A Family Group: The Artist's Wife and Children: `Papa Painting!' 1905
Oil on canvas
support: 161.3 x 175.3 cm
painting
Presented by the artist's widow 1938
Examples of other works by Solomon J. Solomon can be found at Tate on line at:
http://www.tate.org.uk/servlet/ArtistWorks?cgroupid=999999961&artistid;=1961&page;=1
Added:
16th Feb 2011
Subjects:
Art and Design, Citizenship, Design and Technology, Geography, History, PSHE, Religious Education
Key Stages:
Foundation, Key Stage 1, Key Stage 2, Key Stage 3
Keywords:
Art, teaching packs, history, immigration, judaism, jewish, contemporary, london, international, sculpture, photography, painting, education, primary, secondary, drawing, movement
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