The pear tree, autumn
The old pear tree of the Summer Doyenné cultivar still stands in the front garden of Ancher’s Hus, but is now leaning perilously to one side. The pear tree motif was one that Anna returned to repeatedly. The image is painted with pastel chalks, a technique that the artist mastered with a great deal of virtuosity. Pastel painting saw a resurgence at the end of the 19th century, and in the French style, Anna Ancher and Theodor Philipsen can be regarded as pioneers in a Danish context. Both painters worked intensively with the possibilities of pastels and created some interesting paintings in the medium. Anna regarded most of her pastels as independent works and not as studies. Where she learned the technique is unknown, but it is reasonable to assume that she learned it from Philipsen, who she knew personally.
