Anton Melbye
Encyclopedia
Daniel Hermann Anton Melbye (1818–1875) was a Danish painter
. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and was a private student of Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
. He achieved international success as a marine artist, travelling widely especially to Morocco
and Turkey
.
. He was also influenced by Camille Corot whom he met in Paris
where he lived from 1847 to 1858.
While in Paris he met Napoleon III who ordered a large painting from him.
Melbye's marine works were in the international style but he was profoundly attracted by scenes of inclement weather and simply loved "the wild sea". This must have made him an ideal student for Eckersberg and the two established a lasting friendship.
photography, a technique he learnt from Louis Daguerre
, the inventor.
and when he returned to Denmark he received the Order of the Dannebrog
.
He exhibited from 1840 at Charlottenborg
in Copenhagen
, from 1847 on in the Salon of Paris, 1862 in London
and in Hamburg
, in Berlin
at the Academy
and in Brussels
.
Art of Denmark
Danish art goes back thousands of years with significant artifacts from the 2nd millennium BC, such as the Trundholm sun chariot. Art from modern Denmark forms part of the art of the Nordic Bronze Age, and then Norse and Viking art...
. He studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and was a private student of Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg
Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg was a Danish painter. He was born in Blåkrog in the Duchy of Schleswig , to Henrik Vilhelm Eckersberg, painter and carpenter, and Ingeborg Nielsdatter...
. He achieved international success as a marine artist, travelling widely especially to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
.
Paintings
His paintings are realistic, often enhanced with dramatic light and weather effects as in Eddystone Lighthouse (1846) which earned him the Thorvaldsen MedalThorvaldsen Medal
The Thorvaldsen Medal is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest destinction within the visual arts...
. He was also influenced by Camille Corot whom he met in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
where he lived from 1847 to 1858.
While in Paris he met Napoleon III who ordered a large painting from him.
Melbye's marine works were in the international style but he was profoundly attracted by scenes of inclement weather and simply loved "the wild sea". This must have made him an ideal student for Eckersberg and the two established a lasting friendship.
Photography
He is also remembered for his early daguerreotypeDaguerreotype
The daguerreotype was the first commercially successful photographic process. The image is a direct positive made in the camera on a silvered copper plate....
photography, a technique he learnt from Louis Daguerre
Louis Daguerre
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre was a French artist and physicist, recognized for his invention of the daguerreotype process of photography.- Biography :...
, the inventor.
Awards and exhibitions
In France, he was awarded the Légion d'honneurLégion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
and when he returned to Denmark he received the Order of the Dannebrog
Order of the Dannebrog
The Order of the Dannebrog is an Order of Denmark, instituted in 1671 by Christian V. It resulted from a move in 1660 to break the absolutism of the nobility. The Order was only to comprise 50 noble Knights in one class plus the Master of the Order, i.e. the Danish monarch, and his sons...
.
He exhibited from 1840 at Charlottenborg
Kunsthal Charlottenborg
Kunsthal Charlottenborg in Copenhagen is the official exhibition gallery of the Royal Danish Academy of Art. The palatial residence was constructed in 1672–83 for Ulrik Frederik Gyldenløve, in the Baroque architectural idiom shared by Holland, England and Denmark.The dowager queen Charlotte Amalie...
in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, from 1847 on in the Salon of Paris, 1862 in London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
and in Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
at the Academy
Akademie der Künste
The Akademie der Künste, Berlin is an arts institution in Berlin, Germany. It was founded in 1696 by Elector Frederick III of Brandenburg as the Prussian Academy of Arts, an academic institution where members could meet and discuss and share ideas...
and in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.