Knud Frederik Vilhelm Hannibal Melbye (14 May 1824 – 6 October 1882) was a

Danish Danish may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to the country of Denmark People * A national or citizen of Denmark, also called a "Dane," see Demographics of Denmark * Culture of Denmark * Danish people or Danes, people with a Danish a ...

marine art Marine art or maritime art is a form of figurative art (that is, painting, drawing, printmaking and sculpture) that portrays or draws its main inspiration from the sea. Maritime painting is a genre that depicts ships and the sea—a genre parti ...

ist. Over the course of his career, he painted seascapes, coastal and harbor scenes, sailing vessels and topographical subjects in many parts of Europe, especially in the

Mediterranean region In biogeography, the Mediterranean Basin (; also known as the Mediterranean Region or sometimes Mediterranea) is the region of lands around the Mediterranean Sea that have mostly a Mediterranean climate, with mild to cool, rainy winters and wa ...

Biography

Melbye was born in Elsinore, Denmark. He was the son of Jacob Buntzen Melbye and Anna Marie (Clara) Christine Løehts. His brothers were painter and photographer Anton Melbye (1818–1875) and marine painter

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 ...

(1826–1869). He first trained to become a merchant but then turned to painting, studying under his older brother Anton, already an established marine painter, and attending 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 ...

from 1844 to 1847. He also took private classes in perspective drawing with Carl Dahl. In 1847, he went on his first journey, to

Iceland Iceland ( is, Ísland; ) is a Nordic island country in the North Atlantic Ocean and in the Arctic Ocean. Iceland is the most sparsely populated country in Europe. Iceland's capital and largest city is Reykjavík, which (along with its s ...

aboard the corvette ''Valkyrien''. In 1848, he became one of the first artists to paint in

Skagen Skagen () is Denmark's northernmost town, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalborg. The Port of Skage ...

. The same year he traveled to

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 ...

by way of

Düsseldorf Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian language, Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second- ...

. In Paris he studied with

Théodore Gudin Jean Antoine Théodore Gudin (15 August 1802 – 11 April 1880) was a French marine painter and court painter to both king Louis Philippe and subsequently Emperor of the French Napoleon III. Along with Louis-Philippe Crépin, he became one of t ...

(1802–1880) before returning to Denmark in 1849. He was appointed professor at the academy in Copenhagen in 1880 but died in 1882 in

Roskilde Roskilde ( , ) is a city west of Copenhagen on the Danish island of Zealand. With a population of 51,916 (), the city is a business and educational centre for the region and the 10th largest city in Denmark. It is governed by the administrative ...

. He was interred at Holmens Kirkegård in

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 ...

Works

Vilhelm Melbye preferred a realistic style, often also with romantic or dramatic scenes. Many of his works depict southern European coastal or harbor views. He was influenced by his older brother and teacher Anton Melbye but another important influence in his oeuvre was the

Düsseldorf School Düsseldorf ( , , ; often in English sources; Low Franconian and Ripuarian: ''Düsseldörp'' ; archaic nl, Dusseldorp ) is the capital city of North Rhine-Westphalia, the most populous state of Germany. It is the second-largest city in th ...

, especially

Andreas Achenbach Andreas Achenbach (29 September 1815, Kassel – 1 April 1910, Düsseldorf) was a German landscape and seascape painter in the Romantic style. He is considered to be one of the founders of the Düsseldorf School. His brother, Oswald, was also a ...

Gallery

File:Vilhelm Melbye - Gibraltar coastal scene.jpg, ''Coastal Scene with fishing and other boats off

Gibraltar ) , anthem = " God Save the King" , song = " Gibraltar Anthem" , image_map = Gibraltar location in Europe.svg , map_alt = Location of Gibraltar in Europe , map_caption = United Kingdom shown in pale green , mapsize = , image_map2 = Gib ...

''
(1854) File:Vilhelm Melbye Udsigt over Skagen 1848-crop.jpg, ''View over Skagen''
(1848) Image:Shipping in a Choppy Sea (Vilhelm Melbye).jpg, ''Seascape from Gibraltar''
(1850) Image:Vilhelm Melbye - Marine, Italy.jpg, ''Seascape from Italy''
(1852) Image:Vilhelm Melbye - fishing boat and a steamer.jpg, ''Fishing boat and a steamer off a Rocky Coast''
(1870) Image:Vilhelm Melbye - Xebecs and other shipping off Gibralter at sunset.jpg, ''Seascape from Gibraltar''
(1882)

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Melbye, Vilhelm 19th-century Danish painters Danish male painters Danish marine artists People from Helsingør 1824 births 1882 deaths Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Burials at Holmen Cemetery 19th-century Danish male artists

Biography

Works

Gallery

See also

References

External links