Xavier Mellery - Un baptême à l’île de Marken 1884

Xavier Mellery is not as well known as his famous pupil Fernand Knopf, and his creative legacy is small, but he is rightfully considered one of the founders of Belgian symbolism, who made a huge contribution to its development. Mellery's works are distinguished by their monumentality, although they have small dimensions and deep allegorical content. The artist left behind a large number of outstanding graphic works and was known as a talented illustrator. He was also a member of the famous Belgian "Twenty" (Les XX) – an association of artists that promoted modernist art and contributed to the formation of many talented artists of the turn of the XIX-XX centuries.