COVE

‘Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene’ is a watercolor on paper painting that was painted by Simeon Solomon in 1864. The painting depicts two women seated on a bench in a garden and locked in an embrace. Sappho was a poet that was born on Lesbos, which is a Greek island in the northeastern part of the Aegean Sea. She was born in the year 612 BCE and was a poet that wrote nine books of poetry. Her poetry mainly dealt with themes of love, and the frustrations and joys that come from it. A good portion of her poems are lost, but one poem that still survives of hers is ‘Ode to Aphrodite’, which is a supplication to the Goddess Aphrodite in order to help her romance another woman.

Solomon himself also had proclivities toward homosexuality. He was a close associate of the Pre-Rafaelite brotherhood, and drew a great deal of influence from the likes of Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and Edward Burne-Jones. These influences and others encouraged Solomon to explore what were then forbidden topics about the nature of homosexuality and lesbianism. His work was lauded by contemporaries for their daring subject matter and the issues and realities that they depicted. However, later in his career he was convicted of attempted sodomy, which caused many of his fellows to look upon his art poorly. This also severely impacted his career, causing much of his work to no longer be displayed. Afterwards, he struggled greatly with alcohol and died as a result. Though his career was cut short, his work has since been uncovered and appreciated for what it addresses.

This painting remains as an important depiction of lesbianism in popular culture. This brave depiction showcased something that was extremely taboo for its time. It is an important piece due to the nature of these topics that it detailed.

Sources: Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene. https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/solomon-sappho-and-erinna-in-a-garden-at-mytilene-t03063

Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene.

https://arthistoryproject.com/artists/simeon-solomon/sappho-and-erinna-i...