Anna Ancher returning from the field
This is a warm, evocative painting, which is dominated by the blue summer sky, the yellow field and the figure of the calmy walking figure of Anna Ancher, who was not only the wife of the artist, but also his collegaue. In the background to the far left, you can see the sand-covered church south of Skagen. Anna Ancher is dressed in a so-called ‘reform dress’. This kind of ‘rational dress’ was popular in the United States and Europe in the late nineteenth century, particularly among artists. The term was used about simple, uncorseted dresses that did not restrict the wearer’s figure. The portrait says a lot about the artist and his wife, Anna, and their mutually respectful relationship. Michael Ancher has placed his wife in a fertile landscape in the otherwise very sandy Skagen. She holds her head high, with her gaze towards the horizon, moving forward.
