Abraham Solomon was from a prominent Ashkenazic family that came to Britain in the late eighteenth century. He studied at the Royal Academy and showed there regularly beginning in 1841. Solomon was known for his paintings of literary genre subjects and socially conscious themes of contemporary life. Early in his career he painted Jewish subjects, including Rabbi Expounding the Scriptures, shown at the Society of British Artists in 1840. Two of Abraham Solomon’s siblings—Rebecca and Simeon—also had notable artistic careers.
All over the world, Jewish art reflected the hybrid nature of Jewishness, including the material circumstances and cultural milieu of the larger environment. Individual artisans and artists selected and created according to their personal and Jewish experiences.
Waiting for the Verdict depicts a despondent family sitting outside a courtroom, waiting for a verdict in the trial of a loved one. Through the door can be seen a judge and white-wigged lawyers…
[ . . . ] Braendel dragged the poor woman into the smoky room, which stank of sweat, beer, and wine, and cried out in a loud voice, “Aren’t you ashamed, you children of honest Jews, to drink and…
This scene in a bomb shelter during World War I is characterized by the empathy and intimacy with which many of Amy Julia Drucker’s London paintings were imbued. The children stand out amid the masses…