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Dimensions: 41 by 46 cm. ; 16 by 18 in.
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Provenance: Bought from the artist by Mr Myer Salaman, the great great grandfather of the present owner
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Notes: This picture appears to be have been exhibited at Solomon's one man exhibition held at the Baillie Gallery in London in the winter of 1905 to 1906. According to the exhibition details of the catalogue Ophelia was made in 1887, three years after Solomon's infamous fall from grace. At this time of his life after his brief imprisonment, Solomon was largely shunned by most of his former friends and was living on the streets of London and at the workhouse at St. Giles'. Solomon was reliant on the kindness of the small number of friends and relations who bought the startling Symbolist drawings of mythological and allegorical heads he continued to produce. Ophelia was bought by one of Solomon's staunchest supporters Myer Salaman, the author of the improbably titled The History and Social Influence of the Potato.
The figure of the tragic Ophelia was one of the most popular characters for Pre-Raphaelite and Symbolism painters and here Solomon depicts the moment so famously depicted by Millais (Tate Britain) as the drowning heroine is carried away by the stream. The psychological focus is on the face of the girl turned skyward as she sings her swan-song to the evening sky, one last expression of emotion as her life comes to a close.
Through the 1880s Solomon's pictures reflect the hardship of his life, reflecting a dynamic power of expression and rugged drama, in a visual language comparable with the works of William Blake and also with the Symbolism movement sweeping Europe. Ophelia has never before been reproduced and is seen here for the first time since its exhibition almost a century ago.
