Christian Vigilius Blache (1838–1920) was a Danish marine painter. After studying at the Academy under C.F. Sørensen, he traveled widely painting ships and seascapes throughout Denmark as well as in Scotland, Iceland and the Faroe Islands. He was an early visitor to

Skagen Skagen () is the northernmost town in Denmark, on the east coast of the Skagen Odde peninsula in the far north of Jutland, part of Frederikshavn Municipality in North Denmark Region, Nordjylland, north of Frederikshavn and northeast of Aalbo ...

in the north of

Jutland Jutland (; , ''Jyske Halvø'' or ''Cimbriske Halvø''; , ''Kimbrische Halbinsel'' or ''Jütische Halbinsel'') is a peninsula of Northern Europe that forms the continental portion of Denmark and part of northern Germany (Schleswig-Holstein). It ...

where an artists' colony was to emerge a little later.

Early life and education

Blache was born in

Aarhus Aarhus (, , ; officially spelled Århus from 1948 until 1 January 2011) is the second-largest city in Denmark and the seat of Aarhus municipality, Aarhus Municipality. It is located on the eastern shore of Jutland in the Kattegat sea and app ...

, Denmark. He was the son of Hans Henrik Blache (1787-1871), the headmaster of

Aarhus Katedralskole Aarhus Katedralskole is a cathedral school, an institution of secondary education, a Danish Gymnasium (Denmark), Gymnasium and a Listed buildings in Aarhus Municipality, listed building in Aarhus, Denmark. The school is situated in the neighborhoo ...

. After matriculating from high school in 1857, he first served an apprenticeship in shipbuilding. He entered the

Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts () 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 Danish Academy of Portraiture, Sculpture, and Architecture in Cope ...

in 1861 where he studied under C.F. Sørensen, graduating in 1867. He traveled widely in Europe in 1872.Henrik Bramsen, "Christian Blache"
''Kunstindeks Danmark & Weilbachs Kunstnerleksikon''. Retrieved 31 October 2013.

Career

Blache belonged to the younger generation of Denmark's classical marine painters but had studied under one of the earlier masters, C.F. Sørensen. Like his colleagues, he had a good knowledge of ships and chose subjects mainly from home waters and coasts. He traveled through the whole of Denmark, painting many acclaimed works of the west coast of Jutland. Some of his more dramatic paintings depict scenes of stormy weather. He traveled to Paris in 1878 to see the paintings in the

World Exhibition A world's fair, also known as a universal exhibition, is a large global exhibition designed to showcase the achievements of nations. These exhibitions vary in character and are held in different parts of the world at a specific site for a perio ...

. His paintings include scenes of

in Scotland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland. From 1863, he exhibited in Charlottenborg and continued to do so almost every year until 1920, exhibiting over 200 paintings in all. He was awarded the Neuhausens Præmie in 1865 and 1872. In 1888, he was awarded the

Eckersberg Medal The Eckersberg Medal (originally the ''Akademiets Aarsmedaille'' or Annual Academy Medal) is an annual award of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts. It is named after Christoffer Wilhelm Eckersberg, known as the father of Danish painting. The ...

. In 1888, Blache became a member of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts plenary assembly. In 1890 he was elected to the academy board (''akademirådet''), from 1881–1914 he was a member of the exhibition committee and after 1907 he became its chairman. In 1888 he became a Knight of the

Order of the Dannebrog The Order of the Dannebrog () is a Denmark, Danish order of chivalry instituted in 1671 by Christian V of Denmark, Christian V. Until 1808, membership in the Order was limited to fifty members of noble or royal rank, who formed a single cla ...

, received the

Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn Dannebrogordenens Hæderstegn, also referred to as the Cross of Honour of the Order of the Dannebrog (post-nominals: D.Ht.), is a meritous award connected to the Danish Order of the Dannebrog. The cross was instituted by King Frederick VI of Den ...

in 1904 and in 1914 was made Commander Second Class. Among his most notable works on display at the

National Gallery of Denmark National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, c ...

are ''Fra Begtrupvig ved Hels'' (1864) and ''Panserskibet Ivar Huilfeldt passerer Forbjerget Stat i en Storm'' (1893)."Christian Blache"
''Dansk Biografisk Leksikon''. Retrieved 1 November 2013.

Skagen

Blache was one of the first artists to visit

in the far north of

where an

artists' colony Art colonies are organic congregations of artists in towns, villages and rural areas, who are often drawn to areas of natural beauty, the prior existence of other artists, art schools there, or a lower cost of living. They are typically mission- ...

emerged in the late 1870s. It was as a result of his influence that

Holger Drachmann Holger Henrik Herholdt Drachmann (9 October 1846 – 14 January 1908) was a Danish poet, dramatist and painter. He was a member of the Skagen Painters, Skagen artistic colony and became a figure of the Scandinavian Modern Breakthrough Movem ...

first visited the town in 1871. One of

Skagens Museum Skagens Museum is an art museum in Skagen, Denmark, that exhibits an extensive collection of works by members of the colony of Skagen Painters who lived and worked in the area in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Important artists include M ...

's most iconic paintings is his ''Skagens grå fyr'' (1869).

References

Other sources

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Blache, Christian 1838 births 1920 deaths 19th-century Danish painters 20th-century Danish painters Danish male painters Danish marine artists Knights of the Order of the Dannebrog Artists from Aarhus Recipients of the Eckersberg Medal Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts alumni Skagen Painters 19th-century Danish male artists 20th-century Danish male artists