Contact gallery for price		Solomon Joseph Solomon British, 1860-1927 The Life Class Oil on canvas laid down on board 25 5/8 x 32 inches (35.5 x 41 inches framed) Signed lower left with monogram Solomon Joseph Solomon was born in London in 1860. Solomon received extensive training as an artist, studying at the Royal Academy Schools, Munich Academy, Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Cabanel, and also under Rev. S. Singer. He painted mainly portraits, for example, Mrs Patrick Campbell as 'Paula Tanqueray' (1894; The Arts Club, London), which made his name as a portraitist. However, he also painted mythological and biblical scenes. These were often large and theatrical, for example, Ruth and The Birth of Love. He had a number of important patrons among rich Jewish entrepreneurs, such as Alfred Mond, who commissioned Mrs Alfred Mond and her Children (1908; Private Collection). In World War I he worked as a camouflage artist. Solomon exhibited from 1881 at the Royal Academy, New Gallery and Society of British Artists. In 1886 he was elected a member of the New English Art Club, a group with which James Whistler exhibited in 1888. A year later he entered into membership at the Royal Institute of Oil Painters. In 1891 he was elected a member of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters and in 1896 he became an associate of the Royal Academy, achieving full membership in 1906. He was a member of The Arts Club from 1887 until at least 1920. He joined the Royal Society of British Artists in 1919, and in that year was appointed its President, a role also undertaken by other notable British artists such as James Whistler and Walter Sickert. The present work features a reclining nude posing for a life drawing class at an art academy. In The Life Class, Solomon’s academic training comes to the fore, the anatomy of the nude is carefully and expertly rendered and her sinuous lines are accentuated by a shaft of light to our left. The loosely painted background of artists and a dark wall further set-off the fair figure of the demure nude. The subject of the artist, model, and academy (or atelier) has been interpreted by many prominent 19th century artists, including Gustave Courbet, Thomas Eakins, and Jean-Leon Gerome. These paintings typically explore the creative process of the artist, with nudes that call to mind the myth of Pygmalion and the importance of the “creator” or artist’s hand. In works such as The Life Class, we are invited to view the kernel of inspiration for these artists. Museum Collections Include: National Portrait Gallery, London; National Museums Liverpool; Royal Academy of Arts; Tate Gallery, London: Walker Art Gallery, Liverpool