DOI Heft:
No. 39 (June, 1896)
DOI Artikel:Baldry, Alfred Lys: The work of Solomon J. Solomon
DOI Seite / Zitierlink:https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.17297#0021
The Work of Solomon J. Solomon, A.R.A.
executive investigations, and his keen desire to matters which he fully recognises. He treats these
solve the problems of painting that are presented essentials of design as the very foundation of his
by the effects which Nature devises, have been art, and gives to them an amount of thought which
hampered by some idea that a dramatic subject or he does not willingly bestow upon the working out
a well-known incident in classic mythology must of the episodes that he makes his nominal motives,
necessarily be used as an illustrative basis to his A dramatic painter in the ordinary sense he cer-
compositions. When he has intended to paint a tainly is not, and the smaller emotions of the genre
fascinating colour combination, such as flesh sur- painter happily do not appeal to him. The pas-
faces against the delicate tints of a blossoming sions which he depicts are physical rather than
fruit tree, or a light and shade arrangement, such subtly intellectual, the passions which affect the
as a group of dark figures thrown into relief by a body and not the face. They produce situations
brilliantly lighted background, as in his Niobe, he full of stress and movement, or poses which are
has generally combined with his quite legitimate expressive of conscious intention to be picturesque,
purpose the less painter-like desire to tell a story not the casual juxtapositions into which human
which would satisfy students of history, to whom beings are thrown by the unforeseen accidents of
the artistic qualities of his work did not necessarily existence. His people live a life of deliberate
appeal. It is permissible to hope that he is near arrangement of themselves, and are more concerned
the moment when he will allow himself greater with the intention to demonstrate their physical
freedom from such restrictions, and will present charms than with the wish to play effectively little
his technical imaginings undiluted by any mixture comedies which are made up chiefly of small by-
of classical gossip or historical anecdote. play-
As far as his own inclinations go, he is certainly It is true that in his Echo and Narcissus last
a decorative painter. The importance of studied year he seemed to go further than he ever has be-
line composition, the value of well considered fore in the direction of sentiment and emotion,
placing of colour masses, and the momentous effect This picture, however, despite the almost painful
of a thoughtfully schemed pictorial pattern are yearning which was expressed in the face of the
SAMSON " FROM A PAINTING BY S. J, SOLOMON, A.R.A.
7
executive investigations, and his keen desire to matters which he fully recognises. He treats these
solve the problems of painting that are presented essentials of design as the very foundation of his
by the effects which Nature devises, have been art, and gives to them an amount of thought which
hampered by some idea that a dramatic subject or he does not willingly bestow upon the working out
a well-known incident in classic mythology must of the episodes that he makes his nominal motives,
necessarily be used as an illustrative basis to his A dramatic painter in the ordinary sense he cer-
compositions. When he has intended to paint a tainly is not, and the smaller emotions of the genre
fascinating colour combination, such as flesh sur- painter happily do not appeal to him. The pas-
faces against the delicate tints of a blossoming sions which he depicts are physical rather than
fruit tree, or a light and shade arrangement, such subtly intellectual, the passions which affect the
as a group of dark figures thrown into relief by a body and not the face. They produce situations
brilliantly lighted background, as in his Niobe, he full of stress and movement, or poses which are
has generally combined with his quite legitimate expressive of conscious intention to be picturesque,
purpose the less painter-like desire to tell a story not the casual juxtapositions into which human
which would satisfy students of history, to whom beings are thrown by the unforeseen accidents of
the artistic qualities of his work did not necessarily existence. His people live a life of deliberate
appeal. It is permissible to hope that he is near arrangement of themselves, and are more concerned
the moment when he will allow himself greater with the intention to demonstrate their physical
freedom from such restrictions, and will present charms than with the wish to play effectively little
his technical imaginings undiluted by any mixture comedies which are made up chiefly of small by-
of classical gossip or historical anecdote. play-
As far as his own inclinations go, he is certainly It is true that in his Echo and Narcissus last
a decorative painter. The importance of studied year he seemed to go further than he ever has be-
line composition, the value of well considered fore in the direction of sentiment and emotion,
placing of colour masses, and the momentous effect This picture, however, despite the almost painful
of a thoughtfully schemed pictorial pattern are yearning which was expressed in the face of the
SAMSON " FROM A PAINTING BY S. J, SOLOMON, A.R.A.
7