Oil Paint
Oil paint is a slow-drying art medium made with pigment and a drying-oil binder that allows extended working time, smooth blending, and layered application.
Painter
Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon was a British painter linked to the Pre-Raphaelites whose richly colored biblical scenes and dreamlike figures explored ritual, myth, and desire.
Simeon Solomon quick facts
Solomon joined the wider Pre-Raphaelite circle in the late 1850s, later developing a distinctive Aesthetic and Symbolist vision.
| Born | 1840 · London, England |
|---|---|
| Died | 1905 · London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Movements | Pre-Raphaelite circle (later associate); Symbolist tendencies |
| Paint types | Oil Paint · Watercolor Paint · Gouache Paint |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Paper |
| Painting methods | Layered watercolor and opaque white bodycolor for intense color, alongside oil-painted figures and symbolic compositions |
| Common subjects | Biblical rituals, ancient myth, religious ceremonies, and idealized or androgynous figures |
| Notable works | Two Acolytes Censing: Pentecost · Juliette · King Solomon · Figure with head scarf |
Sources: Ashmolean Museum: Two Acolytes Censing, water-based bodycolor on paper, Metropolitan Museum of Art: Figure with head scarf, watercolor and gouache, Christie's: Juliette, oil on canvas, British Museum: Solomon and the Pre-Raphaelite circle.
Paint types used
Surviving works and museum records document watercolor and opaque bodycolor, alongside oil paintings such as Juliette.
Watercolor Paint
Watercolor paint is a water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, typically applied in transparent washes on absorbent paper.
Gouache Paint
Gouache paint is an opaque, water-based art medium made with pigment and a water-soluble binder, drying to a matte finish that can be reactivated with water.
Surface types used
Ashmolean and Met examples are works on paper; the documented oil painting Juliette was made on canvas.
Canvas
Canvas is a woven fabric support, commonly cotton or linen, used for painting and sold either raw or prepared with a compatible ground layer.
Paper
Paper is an absorbent sheet material made from pressed fibers, with weight, sizing, and surface texture controlling moisture tolerance and paint behavior.
Painters similar to Simeon Solomon
Solomon knew the Pre-Raphaelite circle and shared Rossetti's and Burne-Jones's interest in spiritual and poetic imagery.
Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones was a British Pre-Raphaelite-associated painter whose dreamlike medieval scenes, elongated figures, and rich colors shaped late Victorian art.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter and poet whose luminous portraits, medieval subjects, and symbolic colors helped shape Victorian art.