Michael Ancher and the women of Skagen

by Anna Schram Vejlby

The Skagen painter Michael Ancher is a highly prominent figure in Danish art history. He is particularly well known for his depictions of the ferocious sea and the harsh lives led by fishermen, but he also had a keen eye for the women that surrounded him: the fishermen's wives; the local girls; the ladies of bourgeoisie; the matriarch of his in-laws, Ane Hedvig Brøndum; and, very importantly, his daughter, Helga and his wife, Anna. Ancher's portraits of women demonstrate the scope and range of his artistic reach from intimate depictions to scenes full of pathos. Michael Ancher and THE WOMEN...