P. S. Krøyer (b. Stavanger 1851, d. Skagen 1909)
“Tre på Skagens Sønderstrand bagefter hverandre gaaende Fiskere trække langs Bredden en Baad lidt ude i Vandet imod Strømmen”. Three fishermen on Skagen Sønderstrand walking one behind the other dragging a boat in the sea just off the shore against the current. The fourth in the boat team is sitting in the stern steering. 1885. Signed S.K. Skagen. Oil on canvas. 48×52 cm.
Purchased by Ribe Kunstmuseum June 2024
H. Chr. Christensen, A Catalogue Raisonné of the Works of P. S. Krøyer, 1923, no. 382. No. 383 in the Catalogue Raisonné “Tre Fiskere trækker en Baad” (Three fishermen dragging a boat) is the same motif in a larger version (84×107 cm). That work is today at Museum Kunst der Westküste, Föhr (Inv. No. 3 KRØ 01).
Exhibited: Kunstforeningen, “P. S. Krøyer 1851–1909”, 1910 no. 170.
Literature: “The Blue Hour of Peder Severin Krøyer”, exhibition catalgue Musée Marmottan Monet, 2021, mentioned p. 122. Here Mette Harbo Lehmann writes the following about the difference in the colour scheme between no. 383 in the Catalogue Raisonné and no. 382 (the present work) and points out how Krøyer has toned down the colours in the large painting (no. 383): “In a preliminary study for Krøyer's work, sold at an auction in 2012, it appears that he had toned downed his colour scheme during the painting process. The last fisherman who, in the study, falls somewhat behind the others, is wearing a darkblue shirt, the middle man a yellow raincoat, and the first an almost white sweater. In the finished work, Krøyer has brought them together and only emphasised the rhytm of their positions with alternating light- and dark brown colours. Moreover, the light green lyme grass aroung the light house in the background has become significantly less green.”
Provenance: Merchant Thomas Møller (1910), his estate auction 1922, here bought by lawyer Paul G. Cohn (1923). Bruun Rasmussen auction 827, 2012 no. 82.
In 1885 Bergens Kunstforening (today Bergen Kunsthal) commissioned a work by Krøyer, where he could decide the motif himself. In the autumn 1885 the final painting “Three fishermen dragging a boat” was sent to Bergen, and the reviewer of Bergens Posten was very enthusiastic and wrote about it on 7 November 1885 (in Danish):
“It depicts 'returning fishermen' dragging their boat along the beach in calm weather; the motif is from Skagen, whose lighthouse can be seen in the background to the left. There are three strong fishermen, especially the front one, who with the rope over one shoulder wades forward through the wet sand; the sun shines right in their faces, so that they laugh against the strong light. A little way out on the flat beach, the green boat glides forward, steered by a young man in the stern, and all the way to the distant horizon limited by a row of white summer clouds, the deep blue sea stretches its surface with bright spots here and there and in long incomparable movements. It is a picture of sunshine in which the main emphasis is placed on the atmosphere of nature and colour and it is radiantly true and freshly rendered. Danish art has never been better and more beautifully represented in our Kunstforening than by this picture, and we believe that our audience will be highly interested in getting to know one of Denmark's most talented artists.” (“Krøyer i Internationalt Lys”, exhibition catalogue, The Hirschsprung Collection and Art Museums of Skagen, 2012, p. 230).
Peter Michael Hornung writes the following about “Three Fishermen dragging a boat” (in Danish):
“The following year, Krøyer again used the same effective diagonal and the same towering horizon, when he finished 'Three Fishermen dragging a boat' [...]. This time the artist has turned around and painted his motif with the sun burning on his back. But it is debatable whether the actual motif is the three fishermen trotting off on the beach with a boat in tow, since the most surprising thing is the three shadows that the fishermen cast in the sand. They form a motif in itself [...] Krøyer did come to Skagen because of what he had been told about the light in this part of Jutland. The legendary light of this sky came to play the main role in the paintings that Krøyer painted in Skagen, whether he stayed indoors or outdoors.” (Peter Michael Hornung: “Peder Severin Krøyer”, 2002, pp. 185–186). The same fine characteristic applies to the present painting.
Please note: The item is subject to the Anti-Money Laundering Act. In the event of a hammer price of DKK 50,000 or more, including buyer’s premium, the buyer must submit a copy of a valid photo ID and proof of address in order to collect the item.
Northern Light – The Artists' Colony at Skagen, 10 June 2024