Renowned in Denmark as one of the country’s greatest artists, Anna Ancher’s paintings deserve to be better known by anyone who enjoys beautiful interiors and lovely lamplight…
If there’s one thing the Danes really enjoy it’s a cosy interior. Indeed, there’s a whole Danish way of life devoted to homely snugness called ‘hygge’. You can read all about it in our post here, but essentially it’s about taking pleasure in doing nice little things about the house: lighting candles, wearing thick socks, baking cookies on a rainy afternoon and, of course, cosying up in the warm glow of a table lamp. And if there’s one Danish artist whose paintings really capture that hygge instinct, it’s Anna Ancher.
Young Girl Before a Lit Lamp (1887) - Skagen Museum
Born in 1859, the artistic talent of Anna Kirstine Brøndum was obvious from a very early age, and her home town of Skagen in Jutland was the perfect place for it to flourish. Being at the northernmost point of Denmark, artists came to Skagen from all over Scandinavia to take advantage of the wonderful light and scenery, and to paint en plein air in the French Impressionist style.
Anna Ancher - photograph by Frederik Riise from 1933, two years before her death. Royal Library of Denmark
After studying art in Copenhagen and Paris, Anna returned to Skagen and in 1880 she married fellow painter Michael Ancher. They continued parallel careers as painters (despite the tiresome social mores of the time, which dictated that women shouldn’t work after marriage). But whereas Michael became famous for painting outdoor scenes of fishermen at work, Anna tended to depict interiors.
Anna and Michael Ancher looking at their work (1883)
She was particularly preoccupied with exploring light and colour, and is renowned in Denmark as one of the country’s greatest ever realist pictorial artists. It’s easy to see why when you gaze on these gorgeous interiors, with the lamplight falling on flower arrangements or the evening sun on pale walls, and their moods of quiet calm, reflection – and, yes, definitely a large dollop of hygge too.
Sunlight in the blue room (1891)
(A cottage with light blue curtains and Blue Clematis (1913) The Ancher’s home, where they lived with their daughter Helga, was of course absolutely beautiful. It’s now a museum – a perfect monument, in fact, to the Danish mania for lovely interiors.
Dining Room at the Ancher House - Image credit
If you enjoyed this post, check out more arty posts in the Light and Shade section of our blog. And browse our own works of art (that is, designer lights!) here…
