Michael Ancher – An Epic About the Harsh Life of Man
When it comes to depicting the harsh life at Skagen, Michael Ancher (1849-1927) stands out clearly from the rest of the Skagen painters. His genre paintings tell everyday stories with a realistic brush that does not filter out the harsh truth. From depictions of the fishermen’s quiet days on the beach with pipes in their mouths while the fishing nets are mended, to their often dangerous trips out at sea, where the struggle to earn a living could result in death. Michael Ancher’s vivid depictions show how he not only used the local population as his subjects but that he was deeply involved in the people depicted. He was a well-known painter who stands in Danish art history as a bridge builder between the traditions of the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts and the realism of the Skagen painters.
”We soon got in with the fishermen, visited them and heard their stories, which mostly revolved around wrecks and fishing, as well as what they had experienced while they were at sea.”
Michael Ancher
Michael Ancher began his artistic career at Christian Vilhelm Nielsen’s drawing school, and in 1871 he was admitted to the Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. In 1874, when Michael Ancher was 25, he travelled together with the artist and art critic Karl Madsen to Skagen for the first time, where, like the other artists, he was captivated by the light, nature and local population. At Skagen, he met his future wife and fellow artist, Anna Ancher (née Brøndum). Together they settled in Skagen and became the community’s most faithful Skagen painters. Later on, the couple had a daughter, Helga Ancher, who would also turn out to be a skilled painter.
The more traditional, academic style is represented in one of his early major works “Will He Round the Point” from 1880, and in “A Stroll on the Beach” from 1896 (both at the Art Museums of Skagen) the clear inspiration from Peder Severin Krøyer can be seen with five women strolling along the beach in their long white dresses. Later, Michael Ancher was also inspired by his wife Anna Ancher’s fine depictions of light and colour. In 2018, Michael Ancher’s artwork was highlighted in public with the exhibition “Michael Ancher and the Women from Skagen” at the Art Museums of Skagen, and in 2023-2024 Ordrupgaard will exhibit “Anna og Michael Ancher – Sammen og hver for sig” (Anna and Michael Ancher – together and apart).