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Daniel Herman Anton Melbye (13 February 1818,
(in Danish). @ Kunstindeks Danmark. His inclinations for music and art asserted themselves, however, and he left engineering school to learn the guitar.
He also wanted to be a marine painter and attended the
(in Danish). @ Den Store Danske. By 1840, he was already exhibiting some seascapes that attracted the attention of the German art collector,
He was married in 1857 and returned to Denmark the following year. Upon his arrival, he was named a member of the Royal Academy and awarded the Order of the Dannebrog. In 1862, he became a Professor. During his later years, he divided his time between Copenhagen,
ArtNet: More works by Melbye.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melbye, Daniel Hermann Anton 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 19th-century Danish photographers Danish marine artists 1818 births 1875 deaths Pioneers of photography Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Artists from Copenhagen Order of the Dannebrog 19th-century Danish male artists
Daniel Herman Anton Melbye (13 February 1818, Copenhagen
Copenhagen ( or .; da, København ) is the capital and most populous city of Denmark, with a proper population of around 815.000 in the last quarter of 2022; and some 1.370,000 in the urban area; and the wider Copenhagen metropolitan ar ...
– 10 January 1875, Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, 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), ma ...
) was a Danish painter and photographer who specialized in maritime scenes. He was the brother of painters Vilhelm Vilhelm is a masculine given name, the Scandinavian form of William and Wilhelm. Notable people with the name include:
* Vilhelm Ahlmann (1852-1928), Danish-Swedish architect
* Vilhelm Andersen (1864–1953), Danish author, literary historian and ...
and Fritz Melbye
Fritz Sigfred Georg Melbye (24 August 1826 – 14 December 1869) was a Danish marine painter, the brother of Anton Melbye and Vilhelm Melbye who were also marine painters. He traveled widely, painting seascapes, coastal and harbour scenes as wel ...
.
Biography
His father was a Royal Customs officer. He had originally planned on a naval career but, because of his myopia, was sent to learn shipbuilding instead.Biographical notes(in Danish). @ Kunstindeks Danmark. His inclinations for music and art asserted themselves, however, and he left engineering school to learn the guitar.
He also wanted to be a marine painter and attended the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts
The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts ( da, Det Kongelige Danske Kunstakademi - Billedkunst Skolerne) has provided education in the arts for more than 250 years, playing its part in the development of the art of Denmark.
History
The Royal Dan ...
for a year, in 1838, taking C.W. Eckersberg as his mentor.Brief biography(in Danish). @ Den Store Danske. By 1840, he was already exhibiting some seascapes that attracted the attention of the German art collector,
Karl Friedrich von Rumohr
Carl Friedrich von Rumohr (6 January 1785, Reinhardtsgrimma – 25 July 1843) was a German art historian, writer, draughtsman and painter, agricultural historian, connoisseur of and writer about the culinary arts, art collector and patron of artis ...
. On his recommendation, Melbye accompanied King Christian VIII on his corvette for a voyage through the Baltic and North Seas.
Soon after, he was invited to accompany the King on a voyage to Morocco, where he witnessed the Bombardment of Tangiers
The Bombardment of Tangier took place on 6 August 1844, when French Navy forces under the command of François d'Orléans, Prince of Joinville attacked the Moroccan city of Tangier. The campaign was part of the First Franco-Moroccan War.
The bo ...
. In 1845, he applied to the Royal Academy for a travel scholarship, but was passed over. With the support of the King, he was awarded the money in 1846 and his painting of the Eddystone Lighthouse
The Eddystone Lighthouse is a lighthouse that is located on the dangerous Eddystone Rocks, south of Rame Head in Cornwall, England. The rocks are submerged below the surface of the sea and are composed of Precambrian gneiss. View at 1:50000 ...
was purchased for the Royal Collection. It also won the Thorvaldsen Medal
The Thorvaldsen Medal ( Danish: Thorvaldsens Medalje, Thorvaldsen Medaillen) is awarded annually with few exceptions to a varying number of recipients by the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and is its highest distinction within the visual arts. I ...
. This brought a rush of orders that forced him to postpone his trip.
Years in Paris
He finally arrived in Paris in 1847 and remained through theRevolution
In political science, a revolution (Latin: ''revolutio'', "a turn around") is a fundamental and relatively sudden change in political power and political organization which occurs when the population revolts against the government, typically due ...
; receiving a year's extension on his scholarship. His name soon became known in local articles circles and he remained there even longer. In 1853, he was given the chance to travel with a French expedition to Istanbul
)
, postal_code_type = Postal code
, postal_code = 34000 to 34990
, area_code = +90 212 (European side) +90 216 (Asian side)
, registration_plate = 34
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. For a time, he lived with the French Ambassador, Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers
Louis-Achille Baraguey d'Hilliers (6 September 1795 – 6 June 1878), 1st Comte Baraguey d'Hilliers, was a Marshal of France and politician.
Baraguey d'Hilliers was born in Paris, the son of the French revolutionary general Louis Baraguey d'H ...
, and painted a portrait of Sultan Abdülmecid I
Abdulmejid I ( ota, عبد المجيد اول, ʿAbdü'l-Mecîd-i evvel, tr, I. Abdülmecid; 25 April 182325 June 1861) was the 31st Sultan of the Ottoman Empire and succeeded his father Mahmud II on 2 July 1839. His reign was notable for the r ...
. During these years, he also received a commission from Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was the first President of France (as Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte) from 1848 to 1852 and the last monarch of France as Emperor of the French from 1852 to 1870. A nephew ...
and learned how to take daguerrotypes directly from Louis Daguerre
Louis-Jacques-Mandé Daguerre ( , ; 18 November 1787 – 10 July 1851) was a French artist and photographer, recognized for his invention of the eponymous daguerreotype process of photography. He became known as one of the fathers of photog ...
, just before his death.
He was married in 1857 and returned to Denmark the following year. Upon his arrival, he was named a member of the Royal Academy and awarded the Order of the Dannebrog. In 1862, he became a Professor. During his later years, he divided his time between Copenhagen, Hamburg
(male), (female) en, Hamburger(s),
Hamburgian(s)
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, utc_offset1 = +1
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, postal ...
and Paris. Despite his great success, he was often frustrated that everyone he met referred to his picture of the lighthouse as his greatest painting. Worsening health gradually affected his ability to paint, so he turned to charcoal and chalk sketches. He died during a stay in Paris and was buried there.
His paintings are realistic, often enhanced with dramatic light and weather effects (he was especially fond of portraying inclement weather), and show the influence of Camille Corot, who he met in Paris.
References
External links
ArtNet: More works by Melbye.
{{DEFAULTSORT:Melbye, Daniel Hermann Anton 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters 19th-century Danish photographers Danish marine artists 1818 births 1875 deaths Pioneers of photography Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Recipients of the Thorvaldsen Medal Artists from Copenhagen Order of the Dannebrog 19th-century Danish male artists