Gari Melchers

(1860-1932)

Gari Melchers was born on August 11, 1860, in Detroit Michigan, the son of the sculptor Julius Theodore Melchers, who became quite famous in the Detroit area. At seventeen years old Gari Melcher studied at Kunstakademie Dusseldorf, in Germany, where he was taught by von Gebhardt (a German historical painter). Three year later he went to Paris, studying at the Ecole des Beaux arts. In 1886 his painting "The Sermon" was well received at the Paris salon. Also, he and John Singer Sargeant were the first two American painters to win the grand prize at the Paris Universal Exposition. He was a proponent of naturalism, which is a technique that attempts to avoid stylization in order to present the scene truthfully and without artificiality. Below we can see one of his works "The Unpretentious Garden," painted around 1903. One can see in this painting the matter of fact way in which he has put down the paint to describe the subject. However, I see in this painting some stylistic traits in common with Impressionism, due to the fact that the brushwork is so loose and sketchy. It's a beautiful painting and part of that beauty lies in the pattern and texture of the brushwork, and how that relates to the forms being described.

See below another work by Gari Melchers, "My Garden," painted around 1903.

And finally, see below a beautiful portrait painted by Gari Melchers, "Nellie Kabel," painted around 1900.

Click this link to see a Portfolio of My Paintings.