Victor Nehlig (1830,

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

– 1909,

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...

) was a French-American painter.

Life

Born in

in 1830, Nehlig studied

painting Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called the "matrix" or "support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush, but other implements, such as knives, sponges, and ...

under

Léon Cogniet Léon Cogniet (29 August 1794 – 20 November 1880) was a French history and portrait painter. He is probably best remembered as a teacher, with more than one hundred notable students. Biography He was born in Paris. His father was a painter ...

and

Abel de Pujol Alexandre-Denis-Abel de Pujol or Abel de Pujol (30 January 1785 in Valenciennes – 29 September 1861 in Paris) was a French painter. He was a student of David and his own students included Alexandre-Gabriel Decamps and Emile Levy. He painte ...

. In 1850, he moved to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, where he would live and work for the next 22 years, interrupted only by a brief stay in

Havana Havana (; Spanish: ''La Habana'' ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. During his time in the United States, Nehlig opened a studio in

and painted a variety of works in the academic style, often demonstrating his prowess at depicting the human figure. Nehlig returned to his native

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

in 1872, two years after being elected an academician in the

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the fin ...

and shortly after his studio and many of his reference materials were destroyed in a devastating fire. He died in 1909 in New York City.

Works

While Nehlig was relatively well known among art enthusiasts during his time, his work has seen less attention in subsequent years. He frequently painted interpretations of American history, taking a special interest in scenes from the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

, the effects of which he witnessed firsthand. ''An Episode of the War — The Cavalry Charge of Lt. Henry B. Hidden'' (1875), held in the collection of the

New-York Historical Society The New-York Historical Society is an American history museum and library in New York City, along Central Park West between 76th and 77th Streets, on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The society was founded in 1804 as New York's first museum. ...

's Henry Luce III Center for the Study of American Culture, and ''Pocahontas Saving Capt. John Smith'' (1870), held in the collection of the Museum of Art BYU, are among his only paintings on public display. A number of others exist in private collections.

References

External links

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More paintings by Nehlig
@ American Gallery {{DEFAULTSORT:Nehlig, Victor 1830 births 1909 deaths Painters from Paris French romantic painters 19th-century painters of historical subjects 19th-century French painters French male painters 20th-century French painters 20th-century French male artists National Academy of Design members French emigrants to the United States 19th-century American painters 19th-century American male artists American male painters 19th-century French male artists