Allegorical Self-Portrait 1867 - 1873

Curator: Welcome. Here we have Simeon Solomon’s Allegorical Self-Portrait, created between 1867 and 1873, a work held here at the Minneapolis Institute of Art. Editor: It's quite striking. The mood is somber, almost melancholic, and I’m drawn to the way the light falls across the figure and illuminates the orb. The delicate color palette is also so very distinctive. Curator: Solomon was, of course, a prominent figure in the Pre-Raphaelite movement, known for his exploration of symbolism and often controversial themes. In this self-portrait, rendered in watercolor and drawing media, we see the artist represented as an androgynous winged figure. Observe how this form transcends the gender expectations of the era, possibly referencing both classical and spiritual ideas. Editor: Right, and to consider the materiality – it is, after all, watercolor, a medium associated often with delicacy and ephemeral qualities. Yet Solomon coaxes from it a weight, a certain presence. The wings, particularly, have a tactile quality to them, the rendering quite lush and the tone a complex burnt umber. What kind of statement does this make, that he selected these particular, more modest, materials? Curator: I interpret it as a deliberate choice to communicate inner complexities. The figure's gaze is averted, focused instead on the sphere. I feel it’s an exploration of his own artistic soul, almost a meditation on identity. Notice, also, the sprig he clutches – likely symbolic, representing loss or perhaps reconciliation. And don’t miss the wisping ribbon adorning the column, almost a vestige. Editor: Indeed, the column, acting almost as a propping object – a plinth that itself implies monumentality, which has a lovely tension considering the ephemerality and scale. In what manner can we also see his labor manifest within this portrait? Are these details signifiers toward his identity as an artist? Curator: That’s astute. The careful layering of washes builds form. And, perhaps most visibly, observe the signature and the date placed conspicuously in the lower left – a testament of authorial presence in work produced by human hand. I see it as testament of an introspective mind and a study in conveying layered meanings within a deceptively simple pictorial space. Editor: So much to contemplate about material choice and historical, cultural context. It has offered a different way of viewing Pre-Raphaelite artistic concerns. Curator: Exactly. It’s a powerful expression—one that continues to resonate with those wrestling with identity and purpose.