Sappho and Erinna in a Garden at Mytilene by Simeon Solomon depicts Sappho embracing her fellow poet Erinna in a garden at Mytilene on the island of Lesbos.

Seeing the piece in the flesh and seeing the figures expressions close up really hit home for me the struggle and frustration that the artists underwent. You could see and feel the frustration and hints of agony within the painted figures, the pained expression on their faces conveys the restrictions the artists encountered within their own relationships. Solomon was of the era when homosexuality was illegal and to be found in a same sex relationship was a crime, although new council in Italy allowed painters to depict same sex relationships as long as they didn’t act upon their feelings depicted in their works. Due to this new council on what could now be depicted artworks such as these began to emerge, even though such works as this were permitted I still felt saddened by seeing this piece up close as you can tell the artist just wants to show love between two people, the fact that they are the same gender is irrelevant. To have your love and relationship considered a crime must have been a special sort of personal torture, starring at the painting gave me the realisation that people take the freedom to hold hands and kiss in public for granted. I realise society still has room for growth but the suppression is nowhere near what it used to be for people like Solomon, we must not forget the waves and the changes that these people instilled in society for us to be where we are today.