![Solomon Ajax and Cassandra](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/42/Solomon_Ajax_and_Cassandra.jpg)
Solomon Joseph Solomon (16 September 1860 – 27 July 1927) was a British painter, a founding member of the
New English Art Club
The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and a ...
and member of the
Royal Academy.
Solomon's family was
Jew
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""T ...
ish, and his sister,
Lily Delissa Joseph (née Solomon), was also a painter.
He made an important contribution to the development of
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
in the
First World War
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, working in particular on tree observation posts and arguing tirelessly for camouflage netting.
Biography
Born in London in 1860, Solomon studied at various art schools, sequentially,
Heatherley School of Fine Art
The Heatherley School of Fine Art is an independent art school in London.
The school was named after Thomas Heatherley who took over as the school's principal from James Mathews Leigh (when it was named "Leigh's"). Founded in 1845, the schoo ...
, the
Royal Academy Schools
The Royal Academy of Arts (RA) is an art institution based in Burlington House on Piccadilly in London. Founded in 1768, it has a unique position as an independent, privately funded institution led by eminent artists and architects. Its purpo ...
, the
Munich Academy, and
École des Beaux-Arts
École des Beaux-Arts (; ) refers to a number of influential art schools in France. The term is associated with the Beaux-Arts style in architecture and city planning that thrived in France and other countries during the late nineteenth centur ...
(under
Alexandre Cabanel
Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...
). Solomon also studied separately under Rev. S. Singer.
He exhibited his first works as early as 1881, and showed at the Royal Academy, the
New Gallery, and the
Society of British Artists
The Royal Society of British Artists (RBA) is a British art body established in 1823 as the Society of British Artists, as an alternative to the Royal Academy.
History
The RBA commenced with twenty-seven members, and took until 1876 to reach fif ...
.
In 1886, he became one of the founding members of the
New English Art Club
The New English Art Club (NEAC) was founded in London in 1885 as an alternative venue to the Royal Academy. It continues to hold an annual exhibition of paintings and drawings at the Mall Galleries in London, exhibiting works by both members and a ...
. In 1896, he became an associate of the Royal Academy, with full membership following in 1906, one of the few Jewish painters to do so.
He joined, and became president of, the Society of British Artists in 1919.
In 1921 "Col. S.J. Solomon, R.A., P.R.B.A." was listed as one of the early members of the newly formed
Society of Graphic Art.
Art
Solomon's painting was grounded in his influence from his teacher
Alexandre Cabanel
Alexandre Cabanel (; 28 September 1823 – 23 January 1889) was a French painter. He painted historical, classical and religious subjects in the academic style. He was also well known as a portrait painter. According to ''Diccionario Enciclopedi ...
, but was also influenced by
Frederic Leighton
Frederic Leighton, 1st Baron Leighton, (3 December 1830 – 25 January 1896), known as Sir Frederic Leighton between 1878 and 1896, was a British painter, draughtsman, and sculptor. His works depicted historical, biblical, and classical subjec ...
and
Lawrence Alma-Tadema
Sir Lawrence Alma-Tadema, (; born Lourens Alma Tadema ; 8 January 1836 – 25 June 1912) was a Dutch painter who later settled in the United Kingdom becoming the last officially recognised denizen in 1873. Born in Dronryp, the Netherlands, ...
. Solomon painted mainly portraits to earn a living, but also painted dramatic, theatrical scenes from mythology and the bible on large canvasses. These scenes include some of his more popular paintings. In 1897 he painted a mural for the
Royal Exchange, London
The Royal Exchange in London was founded in the 16th century by the merchant Sir Thomas Gresham on the suggestion of his factor Richard Clough to act as a centre of commerce for the City of London. The site was provided by the City of London ...
''Charles I demanding the Five Members at the Guildhall, 1641–42''. One of Solomon's most popular works was ''Samson'' (1887), depicting a scene from the biblical story of
Samson
Samson (; , '' he, Šīmšōn, label= none'', "man of the sun") was the last of the judges of the ancient Israelites mentioned in the Book of Judges (chapters 13 to 16) and one of the last leaders who "judged" Israel before the institution o ...
and
Delilah
Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...
.
This painting was praised for its use of multiple male nudes in active poses.
''Samson'' is one of few Solomon paintings on regular display, at the
Walker Art Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery is an art gallery in Liverpool, which houses one of the largest art collections in England outside London. It is part of the National Museums Liverpool group.
History of the Gallery
The Walker Art Gallery's collection ...
in
Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...
.
Some other Solomon paintings that have received significant attention include ''Ajax and Cassandra'' (1886) and ''The Birth of Love'' (1896).
Solomon became well known as an innovative portrait artist by the time he painted ''
Mrs Patrick Campbell
Beatrice Rose Stella Tanner (9 February 1865 – 9 April 1940), better known by her stage name Mrs Patrick Campbell or Mrs Pat, was an English stage actress, best known for appearing in plays by Shakespeare, Shaw and Barrie. She also toured th ...
as 'Paula Tanqueray (1894),
her role in
Arthur Wing Pinero's ''
The Second Mrs Tanqueray
''The Second Mrs. Tanqueray'' is a problem play by Arthur Wing Pinero. It utilises the "Woman with a past" plot, popular in nineteenth century melodrama. The play was first produced in 1893 by the actor-manager George Alexander and despite ca ...
'', and went on to paint a number of portraits of well-known people, including the architect
Sir Aston Webb
Sir Aston Webb (22 May 1849 – 21 August 1930) was a British architect who designed the principal facade of Buckingham Palace and the main building of the Victoria and Albert Museum, among other major works around England, many of them in par ...
, and later in life, the royals
King George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until his death in 1936.
Born during the reign of his grandmother Qu ...
,
Queen Mary, and
Prince Edward (later King Edward VIII).
Solomon was also in demand as a book illustrator, particularly adventure books.
In 1914, Solomon authored ''The Practice of Oil Painting and Drawing''.
Camouflage
![Mark I series tank](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/ba/Mark_I_series_tank.jpg)
During
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, Solomon was a pioneer of
camouflage
Camouflage is the use of any combination of materials, coloration, or illumination for concealment, either by making animals or objects hard to see, or by disguising them as something else. Examples include the leopard's spotted coat, the b ...
techniques. Having originally signed-up at the start of the war as a
private in The
Artists Rifles, a
Territorial Force
The Territorial Force was a part-time volunteer component of the British Army, created in 1908 to augment British land forces without resorting to conscription. The new organisation consolidated the 19th-century Volunteer Force and yeomanry ...
regiment, he promoted his ideas on camouflage, initially in the press and then directly to senior army officers.
In December 1915, General
Herbert Plumer
Field Marshal Herbert Charles Onslow Plumer, 1st Viscount Plumer, (13 March 1857 – 16 July 1932) was a senior British Army officer of the First World War. After commanding V Corps at the Second Battle of Ypres in April 1915, he took command ...
arranged for Solomon to visit the front lines and investigate techniques in use by the French. His ideas were accepted, and he was asked to set up a team to start the production of camouflage materials in France. On 31 December 1915, General
Douglas Haig
Field Marshal Douglas Haig, 1st Earl Haig, (; 19 June 1861 – 29 January 1928) was a senior officer of the British Army. During the First World War, he commanded the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) on the Western Front from late 1915 until ...
, Commander-in-chief of the British forces in France, instructed that Solomon be given the temporary rank of Lieutenant-Colonel to enable him to carry out his new duties.
The new unit's first task was the design of armoured observation posts disguised as trees, following the pioneering work of the French Section de Camouflage led by
Lucien-Victor Guirand de Scévola. The first British tree observation post was put up on 22 March 1916. Solomon was effective at the artistic and technical tasks of designing trees and nets, but not as a commander. He was replaced in March 1916, instead becoming a technical advisor, a role that suited him better. In May 1916, he was sent to England to help develop
tank
A tank is an armoured fighting vehicle intended as a primary offensive weapon in front-line ground combat. Tank designs are a balance of heavy firepower, strong armour, and good battlefield mobility provided by tracks and a powerful engi ...
camouflage. Solomon doubted that tanks could be effectively camouflaged since they cast a large shadow. Instead, he argued for the use of camouflage netting, with which he gradually became obsessed, claiming that the Germans were hiding huge armies under immense nets. Camouflage netting was at first considered unimportant by the army; it was not manufactured in large quantities until 1917.
[Forbes, 2009. pages 106-109.] Eventually, in 1920, he published a book, ''Strategic Camouflage'', arguing this case, to critical derision in England but with some support from German newspapers.
In December 1916, Solomon established a camouflage school in
Hyde Park which was eventually taken over by the army.
Family life
Solomon's daughter, Iris, was married to
Ewen Montagu
Ewen Edward Samuel Montagu (29 March 1901 – 19 July 1985) was a British judge, Naval intelligence officer and author.
He is best known for his leading role in Operation Mincemeat, a critical military deception operation which misdirected G ...
, one of the "brains" behind
Operation Mincemeat
Operation Mincemeat was a successful British deception operation of the Second World War to disguise the 1943 Allied invasion of Sicily. Two members of British intelligence obtained the body of Glyndwr Michael, a tramp who died from eating ...
in World War Two.
[Ben Macintyre. ''Operation Mincemeat''. Bloomsbury, 2010.] Solomon was an uncle of the American playwright
Moss Hart
Moss Hart (October 24, 1904 – December 20, 1961) was an American playwright, librettist, and theater director.
Early years
Hart was born in New York City, the son of Lillian (Solomon) and Barnett Hart, a cigar maker. He had a younger brother ...
.
See also
*
Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon (9 October 1840 – 14 August 1905) was a British painter associated with the Pre-Raphaelites who was noted for his depictions of Jewish life and same-sex desire. His career was cut short as a result of public scandal following hi ...
- Pre-Raphaelite painter
References
Bibliography
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External links
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THE PRACTICE OF OIL PAINTING AND OF DRAWING AS ASSOCIATED WITH IT
{{DEFAULTSORT:Solomon, Solomon Joseph
1860 births
1927 deaths
19th-century English painters
20th-century English painters
Academy of Fine Arts, Munich alumni
Alumni of the Heatherley School of Fine Art
Alumni of the Royal Academy Schools
British alumni of the École des Beaux-Arts
Camoufleurs
Deception
English Jews
English male painters
Jewish painters
Painters from London
Royal Academicians
Royal Engineers officers
Sibling artists
Members of the Royal Society of British Artists
Burials at Willesden Jewish Cemetery
English illustrators
British illustrators
British children's book illustrators
English children's book illustrators
20th-century English male artists
19th-century English male artists