Who was Fritz Melbye, and how did he influence Camille Pissarro?

Fritz Melbye was a Danish painter who played a pivotal role in the early life and career of Camille Pissarro.

When Pissarro returned to St. Thomas at age 17, his father expected him to join the family business. However, Pissarro was more interested in sketching at the harbor. After meeting the visiting Melbye, Pissarro chose to leave his life in the West Indies behind to pursue art. In November 1852, he sailed with Melbye to Venezuela, where they lived in Caracas. During this time, Pissarro created numerous sketches of street life, an experience he later described as a way to escape the "bondage of bourgeois life" and commit himself to being a painter.1

While Pissarro later found formal guidance from Fritz’s brother, Anton Melbye—even identifying himself as a "Pupil of A. Melbye" at the 1859 Paris Salon—it was his initial journey with Fritz that provided the catalyst for his departure from his family's expectations and his professional commitment to art.12