ArtistSkagen
From the 1870s artists began to
flock to Skagen in northern Jutland- a place so remote they needed a
rowing boat to reach it. In low tide,
local fishermen waded out to the
boats to carry the radical artists and
truth seekers ashore. As poet Holger
Drachmann declared, they wanted
to return “to nature, to the naïve,
the original, the uncomplicated!” In
short, they were looking for Eden.
They came to Skagen and paint-
ed the lives of the fishermen and
their families. It was a new concept
then, to paint ordinary people, as
opposed to elevated and mytholog-
ical beings. They were drawn too, by
the raw beauty of the Scandinavian
coastline, where on summer nights
the sky and sea blended together in
a haze known as The Blue Hour. An
El Dorado for artists, Skagen soon
became home to a colony of paint-
ers. When the artists weren’t paint-
ing - they were drinking champagne,
holding masquerades, having love
affairs, and discussing art in Brøn-
dums Hotel.27Art Inspired by the creative energy within an artists’ colony,
two women painters made their mark on the art world.Words
NIAMH BOYCE
Photographs
SKAGENS MUSEUMPaintings
MICHAEL ANCHER,
P.S. KRØYERpainters
Like all women of the time,
Anna was denied a formal art ed-
ucation. The Danish Royal Acad-
emy of Fine Arts excluded female
students. Instead, she attended les-
sons with a private teacher in Co-
penhagen. And in the summertime,
she painted among the artists in the
colony. A brilliant painter, Anna’s
portrayals of life on Skagen are
exceptional - she had an intimate
connection to the people and land-
scape and didn’t romanticise either
in her work. Her oils and pastels
show people whittling, plucking
seagulls, and sewing, but as time
passed, light and colour became her
true subjects. She was described as a
kind person, as “a ray of sunshine”.Anna Brøndum had a particular
interest in the artists that gathered
in her parent’s inn. She remembered
the tale of Hans Christian Ander-
sen’s visit years before. It had hap-
pened on the day she was born. The
famous writer’s agitation when his
supper was delayed had distressed
her heavily pregnant mother enough
to bring on labour. She had fled up-
stairs and given birth to Anna. Her
mother said that Andersen’s pres-
ence that day was an augury - it
meant that Anna would be an art-
ist. And, she was right. Anna loved
drawing and painting.27 SKAGEN PAINTERSArt Inspired by the creative energy within an artists’ colony,
two women painters made their mark on the art world.
Words
NIAMH BOYCE
Photographs
SKAGENS MUSEUM
Paintings
MICHAEL ANCHER,
P.S. KRØYER
painters
Like all women of the time,
Anna was denied a formal art ed-
ucation. The Danish Royal Acad-
emy of Fine Arts excluded female
students. Instead, she attended les-
sons with a private teacher in Co-
penhagen. And in the summertime,
she painted among the artists in the
colony. A brilliant painter, Anna’s
portrayals of life on Skagen are
exceptional - she had an intimate
connection to the people and land-
scape and didn’t romanticise either
in her work. Her oils and pastels
show people whittling, plucking
seagulls, and sewing, but as time
passed, light and colour became her
true subjects. She was described as a
kind person, as “a ray of sunshine”.Anna Brøndum had a particular
interest in the artists that gathered
in her parent’s inn. She remembered
the tale of Hans Christian Ander-
sen’s visit years before. It had hap-
pened on the day she was born. The
famous writer’s agitation when his
supper was delayed had distressed
her heavily pregnant mother enough
to bring on labour. She had fled up-
stairs and given birth to Anna. Her
mother said that Andersen’s pres-
ence that day was an augury - it
meant that Anna would be an art-
ist. And, she was right. Anna loved
drawing and painting.SKAGEN PAINTERS