Artist Joseph Solomons, also known as Solomon, was a renowned British painter. He is also known as one of the great founding members of the New English Art Club.
He, along with his sister, Lily Delissa Joseph had contributed volumes as the greatest painters of their era. Solomon has created some of the most beautiful paintings of the modern era and is greatly revered throughout the world for his works.
He is also known for his interesting contribution to the art of camouflage and its development in the First World War.
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The family of Joseph Solomons
Joseph Solomons was born in a wealthy Jewish family in a Borough of South London. Solomon was born privileged and though there were many social prejudices among the Jews in East London,
He was spared much of the pain. Joseph-Solomon was born on September 16, 1860, and passed away on July 27, 1927, in London.
Joseph Solomon’s Early Life
Joseph had studied in various art schools, like the Heatherley School of Fine Art, the Royal Academy Schools, the Munich Academy, and the Ecole des Beaux-Arts. He had also received the guidance of Rev. Simeon Singer.
His works were exhibited as early as 1881, when he was aged 21, at the New Gallery, the Royal Academy and the Society of British Artists. At the young age of 26, Joseph Solomon became one of the founding members of the New English Art Club in 1886.
Joseph Solomon’s Rise to Fame
Solomon became an associate of the Royal Academy in 1896 and a full member in 1906. He was one of the few Jewish painters to have achieved the feat. In 1919, artist Solomon Joseph Solomon joined and became the president of the Royal Society of British Artists.
Solomon’s election as an associate of the Royal Academy of England was the culminating result of years of study. He had dedicated himself and his works solely on academic art. The inclusion of Solomon at the Royal Academy marked his entry to the upper echelon of artists in the age. His reputation and fame gained new vigor in the light of this incident.
Unfair Treatment of the Jewish Community
There were well-known prejudices to the Jewish society at this time. But Solomon was spared much of the unfair treatment that was meted out to many others. He was popular as an Anglo-Jew artist, mostly because of the portrayal of British mythology and his kinship to the culture.
Solomon felt that the ethical code of the Jewish culture was no more different from the knights in shining armor that were the embodiment of the British culture. Hence, Solomon’s art form and paintings were celebrated throughout England.
Joseph Solomon’s Biography
Though Solomon was a Jew at heart, he did have great feelings for his nation and this was one of the reasons for his popularity and acceptance in the societies of England. This feeling of his devotion to the beliefs and culture of the country should not be viewed as hypocrisy to his religion to get recognition.
He was, on the contrary, very much outspoken in his beliefs and claimed that Jews should not merge their culture into that of the host country. His beliefs formed the core of his personality.
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