Selfportrait Michael Ancher

Like other members of the Skagen group, Ancher studied painting at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts in Copenhagen. He visited Skagen for the first time in 1874 before moving there following his marriage to the painter Anna Brøndum (Anna Ancher). The couple welcomed many artists to their home, and by the end of the nineteenth century, the small, northerly resort had developed into an artists’ colony. Scandinavian painters were attracted by the peninsula’s unique natural milieu, special light conditions, and opportunities for plein air painting. The Skagen artists gradually broke away from the rigid traditions of the academy, preferring to emulate the realism of the Barbizon school, naturalism, and French impressionism. Besides the everyday struggles of the local fishermen, Ancher’s paintings capture the atmosphere of the coast and the surrounding landscape. Most of his self-portraits were painted by the sea: he is typically depicted wearing his distinctive brown coat and hat, either working or, as in the Budapest portrait, carrying his painting utensils and folding stool. In 1906, this self-portrait was awarded a minor state gold medal in Budapest.

Anett Somodi