An informative romp through love, sex, desire and homophobia – ‘Solomon’ presents the tragic tale of the Jewish Queer pre-Raphaelite painter’s fall from grace.
Feelings of love and desire are constrained with accusations of immorality and criminality in Solomon, illustrating the life-shattering impacts of Victorian homophobia and the juxtaposition between the great Victorian painter Simeon Solomon’s talent and the treatment he received from a society that wasn’t ready to accept him.
Simeon’s tragic fall into destitution from his early days of promise as a young artist is portrayed with great empathy by Jonothan Forrester. Forrester animatedly captures the painter’s youthful joy and wonder at the world and his experience of the first sensations of love and lust, in moments that are heartbreakingly innocent and fun.
Spurned by society, his cast-out Simeon is down-trodden but never tragic nor over the top. Moments of humour are carefully placed throughout Solomon, making it an engaging and entertaining hour of theatre.
A set made up of easels initially covered, are gradually revealed to display Simeon Solomon’s beautiful pastel images. This successfully emphasized the tragic gap between the painter’s talent and his earthly successes and recognition. It’s fascinating to see the painter’s life reflected in his art – be it in the androgynous soft faces and curls of his male figures – inspired by his lover in Rome, or the melancholy blues of his later works, influenced by his life in the workhouse.
Coming out of the JW3, I definitely felt informed and educated about this forgotten figure of art history.
Did I feel a bit like I had been in an art history lecture? Slightly, but perhaps that comes with the territory of the one-man narrative play. And if it was a lecture, it wasn’t one you could fall asleep in.
Solomon was an hour well spent, and I’m grateful to know Simeon Solomon’s story. It really conveyed the tragedy of never finding the love you seek and also being forbidden to love yourself. I look forward to checking out Simeon Solomon’s art for myself, some of which is on display at the Tate Britain.