Edward Burne-Jones
Edward Burne-Jones was a British Pre-Raphaelite-associated painter known for elongated figures, medieval subjects, and richly colored, dreamlike scenes.
Painter
Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter known for richly colored biblical scenes and dreamlike figures exploring ritual, myth, and desire.
Simeon Solomon quick facts
Solomon joined the wider Pre-Raphaelite circle in the late 1850s, then developed an individual Aesthetic and Symbolist vision in paintings and drawings.
| Full name | Simeon Solomon |
|---|---|
| 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 |
| Other media | — |
| Other materials | — |
| Painting surfaces | Canvas · Paper |
| Painting methods | Layered watercolor with opaque white bodycolor to intensify color and used oil for separate figure paintings |
| 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 by Simeon Solomon
Records identify Simeon Solomon's use of Watercolor, Gouache, Oil paint; examples connect each medium to specific works and explain its visual role.
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Watercolor
The Met records Solomon’s Portrait of a Cleric as watercolor and gouache on card. Watercolor provides the transparent base color while retaining the paper support; this compact figure study documents a separate works-on-paper practice from his oil paintings on canvas.
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Gouache
The Met identifies the opaque component in Portrait of a Cleric as gouache, or bodycolor. Solomon used opaque white and color to give the small figure study a denser finish over the watercolor; the record distinguishes gouache from the transparent washes.
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Oil paint
The Delaware Art Museum records Solomon’s The Mother of Moses (1860) as oil on canvas, documenting his oil painting alongside later water-based figure studies. The biblical subject is rendered in a finished canvas format, distinct from the watercolor and bodycolor on card in Portrait of a Cleric.
Sources: The Met: Portrait of a Cleric, watercolor and gouache on card; Ashmolean Museum: watercolor and bodycolor works; Delaware Art Museum: The Mother of Moses, oil on canvas.
Painting surfaces used by Simeon Solomon
Simeon Solomon's documented works use canvas and paper; examples clarify whether each is the painted ground, support, or part of the object.
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Canvas
Solomon’s oil paintings, including the Delaware Art Museum’s The Mother of Moses, are documented on canvas. The support carries his finished biblical compositions, distinct from the smaller watercolor and gouache works on paper. The collection entry identifies canvas as the work’s immediate support.
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Paper
Solomon’s watercolor and bodycolor paintings, including the Met’s Portrait of a Cleric and Two Acolytes Censing, are documented on paper or card. These compact sheets support transparent wash and opaque highlights, separate from his oil paintings on canvas. The collection record names the sheet as the work’s documented support.
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.
Painters similar to Simeon Solomon
Solomon shared Rossetti's and Burne-Jones's interest in spiritual and poetic imagery, while developing a distinct Symbolist approach to figure painting.
Dante Gabriel Rossetti
Dante Gabriel Rossetti was a British Pre-Raphaelite painter and poet whose vivid portraits, medieval subjects, and symbolic colors shaped Victorian art.