American artist Julius Melchers (1860 - 1932) was one of the leading American proponents of naturalism. In 1932, he won a Gold medal from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. He was the son of Julius Theodore Melchers, a German-born American sculptor. Melchers was a native of, Michigan (Detroit) who at 17 years of age studied art under von Gebhardt at the Kunstakademie Düsseldorf and is associated with the Düsseldorf School of painting. Three years after graduation, he went to Paris, where he worked at the Ecole des Beaux Arts and the Académie Julian, and studied under Boulanger and Lefebvre. He got attracted to the pictorial side of Holland, so he decided to settle at Egmond. While at Egmond, he presented a piece of art titled “The Letter” at the Paris Salon. This is a piece that he painted the previous year in Brittany. This first presentation by him was well received and this really encouraged him to continue producing more art pieces.
His first notable Dutch picture titled “The Sermon” brought him favorable awareness at the Paris Salon and acted as the spring-board for more presentations. Melchers became a member of the Royal Academy of Berlin and of many other professional bodies. He received a number of medals for his stunning works, and his decorations include the order of the Red Eagle, Germany; the Legion of Honor, France; and knight of the Order of St Michael, Bavaria. He was among the first American painters to win a Grand Prize at the Paris Universal Exposition. He spent his final years at Belmont Estate in Falmouth, Melchers died in Falmouth, Virginia, on November 30, 1932.
