Christian Blache

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 in the north of Jutland where an artists' colony was to emerge a little later.

Early life and education Blache was born in Aarhus, Denmark. He was the son of Hans Henrik Blache (1787-1871), the headmaster of Aarhus Katedralskole. After matriculating from high school in 1857, he first served an apprenticeship in shipbuilding. He entered the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1861 where he studied under C.F. Sørensen, graduating in 1867. He traveled widely in Europe in 1872.

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. His paintings include scenes of Skagen in Scotland, the Faroe Islands and Iceland.

Among his most notable works on display at the National Gallery of Denmark are Fra Begtrupvig ved Hels (1864) and Panserskibet Ivar Huilfeldt passerer Forbjerget Stat i en Storm (1893).

Skagen Blache was one of the first artists to visit Skagen in the far north of Jutland where an artists' colony emerged in the late 1870s. It was as a result of his influence that Holger Drachmann first visited the town in 1871. One of Skagens Museum's most iconic paintings is his Skagens grå fyr (1869).