Fishermen hauling a net at the North Beach. Late afternoon
P.S. Krøyer painted the fishermen in more peaceful situations than the dangerous rescue missions that Michael Ancher often depicted. It is the first large picture that Krøyer painted on the beaches in Skagen. In a letter to his patron, the tobacco manufacturer Heinrich Hirschsprung in 1882, Krøyer wrote that he wanted to paint a picture: “near sundown with a flat sun and clear weather.” He initially made smaller studies on the beach and then took the large canvas out with him: “I was on Nordstrand for the first time with my large picture this afternoon, driving with all my goods and chattels. It was a huge treat. It was calm and clear, really important for me.” The idea of painting the motif on location came from the French plein air painters, who went out into the forests around Paris to paint at the start of the 1800s.
