Simeon Solomon

In this moody monochromatic portrait, one of Solomon’s late works, he gives the veiled head features reminiscent of Greco-Roman statuary: a square jaw, straight nose, and androgynously beautiful face. This image is probably allegorical. Solomon was creating other works at this time with titles such as Night Looking upon Sleep Her Beloved Child. The painting, cast in a blue light against a starry sky, may portray Night. English Pre-Raphaelite artists—of which Solomon was one—favored motifs found in the late medieval and early Renaissance art that inspired them. Solomon also explored issues connected to his personal identity, including gender ambiguity, queer sexual desire, and Jewish themes.