Christian Vigilius Blache (b. 1838 Aarhus–d. 1920 Copenhagen)

Christian Blache was a Danish marine painter.

Born in Aarhus, Blache was the son of the headmaster of the Cathedral School. After matriculating from high school in 1857, he first served an apprenticeship in shipbuilding. He entered the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in 1861-1867.

Blache belonged to the younger generation of Denmark's classical marine painters but had studied under one of the earlier masters, C.F. Sørensen. He had a good knowledge of ships and his works show a correct treatment of sea conditions such as wind, as well as lively staffage. He travelled 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. His paintings include scenes of Skagen, 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. In 1888, he was awarded the Eckersberg Medal, as well as numerous other honors.

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).

(Information taken partly from Wikipedia)