Gábor Melegh

"Portrait of a Man"
(Franz Schubert, 1827)

Gábor Melegh (14 May 1801, Vršac - 1835, Trieste) was a lithographer and painter in the Austrian Empire of Hungarian descent, who worked in the Biedermeier style.

Life and work

Melegh was born in Vršac in 1801. His ancestry can be traced to an old noble family, based in Timișoara, and his father was a judge's assistant. From 1817 to 1823 he was enrolled at the Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna, graduating with honours. In 1818, he was awarded their Gundel-Prize for excellence. During breaks from the Academy, he returned home to work. He also took students, Károly Brocky being the best known. Some of his works appeared in magazines, notably the literary journal, Aurora, published by his friend, Károly Kisfaludy. Some sources indicate that Melegh drowned in the sea off Trieste in 1835 while on a trip to Italy, although the death register at St. Stephen's Cathedral, Vienna indicates that he died there on 1 April 1832.

His works include watercolors, miniatures, chalk drawings, lithographs and etchings. Some of Melegh's drawings and oil paintings may be seen in the Hungarian National Gallery, including a portrait of composer Franz Schubert. Most of his oil paintings are portraits of people from the upper classes. Famous during his lifetime, he was quickly forgotten after his death.

Sources

• Biographical notes @ Képzőművészet Magyarországon
• Biography and appreciation @ Hét Nap
• Biographical notes @ Kieselbach Gallery

External links

Media related to Gábor Melegh at Wikimedia Commons