Artwork Info: Portrait of Mrs Ethel Solomon in Riding Habit

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Portrait of Mrs Ethel Solomon in Riding Habit

alfred aaron wolmark (1877 – 1961)

Alfred Aaron Wolmark (1877-1961) was a Polish-born British Post-Impressionist painter, a pioneer of modern art known for vibrant colors & depictions of Jewish life in London. Explore his legacy and artworks today!

Ben Uri Gallery and Museum (London, United Kingdom)

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Born in Edgbaston, the daughter of a draper, Mrs Ethel Solomon (née Cohen, 1888–1985), went on to become a highly influential figure as Chair of the Women’s Federation of British Zionists (1920) and as co-founder with her husband of Whittinghame Farm School, founded in 1939 to educate German and Austrian refugee children. Between 1943 and 1966, she was also Chair of Ben Uri.Using a bold, loose paint handling, Wolmark shows Ethel Solomon as a fashionable young woman in black-and-white riding attire, offset by her mustard-yellow gloves, the putty-coloured background emphasising her fresh complexion. The portrait shows Wolmark at a key transitional moment between his early Rembrandtesque manner and dark palette, anticipating his notable conversion to colour after 1911.Wolmark also uses the dramatic pose as a compositional device to indicate his sitter’s strong character. The portrait also relates specifically to his later series of single-figure works including