Victorian Masculinity?

Here's another picture by Simeon Solomon, perhaps a more personally revealing one than the Sappho below. Bacchus is usually represented as a drunken slob; this is the prettiest I've seen. In association with the Ben Uri Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery is hosting a conference: Simeon Solomon: Desire, Masculinity and Victorian Art on Friday 10 November 2006, 10.30 to 17.00. Don't bother unless this is your thing; the cost of tickets is £35 or £25 for silver surfers! NPG's website is still down at the time of writing. If you want to book, try phoning. The title link takes you to the Aberystwyth School of Art, University of Wales. The Love Revealed catalogue by Colin Cruise has been nominated for two prizes: the AXA Art Newspaper prize for the best exhibition catalogue and the Berger Prize. (Thought you'd like to know.)