Old Danish 1000 kroner banknote
The old Danish 1,000 kroner banknote bears portraits of a Danish painter Mike Ancher male and his wife Anna Ancher on the female, both of whom are well-known in Danish painting circles. These two portraits, painted by his friend Peter Severn Cloyer in 1884, are said to have originally hung on the wall of the Brundes Hotel dining room and can be selected as portraits on banknotes, which is enough to show the high national popularity of the Ancher couple.
There are countless husband and wife painters in the history of art, but most of them have experienced the entanglement of separation and union, and even left many stories of love and killing, which have become people's talk after tea and dinner. The love story between Anna and Mike is a long stream and like Günther, and the sweetness is really too much sugar.
Works by Mike Ancher
The two of them are ten years apart, and the older Mike is simply a spoiled wife crazy demon, whether it is visiting to study or participating in art exhibitions, he has to be with his wife wherever he goes, and in his spare time, he is an accompanying painter for his wife, using a brush to record many heartwarming moments in his wife's life.
Mr. and Mrs. Ancher "Check the day's work"
The most special of his works is a 1883 painting by the husband and wife in collaboration entitled "Checking a Day's Work", which depicts the two sitting together one night and looking at the painting. The lighting in the painting is dim and romantic, the two put their eyes on the painting not far away, as if whispering, exchanging each other's opinions, in which their respective portrait parts are not completed personally, but painted by each other, the years in the painting are quiet, and you and me are also outside the painting, this painting can be called a model of show of affection.
The year after the painting was completed, the two bought a house in Anna's hometown of Skagen, and for the next few years, they lived in this quiet and peaceful town, developed their painting career together, and managed their small family together until their deaths.
Museum interior
Her daughter, Helga Ancher, founded the eponymous foundation to restore and convert the old house full of warm memories into a museum, filled with old furniture from the past, and the works of the Ancher couple are permanently displayed in this place where they have been together for a lifetime. In addition, many paintings by Skagen painters are exhibited here, and the house has become a popular attraction in Skagen, documenting the artistic changes here.
For them, there is no conflict between art and life, but they are integrated, and together with their bosom lover, neither of them needs to give up.
Anna, as a well-known pioneer female painter in the history of Danish art, founded the world's first association of female artists, and continues to advocate for women through her influence, and Mike is undoubtedly the best partner in his wife's career and life, he has never interfered with Archer's ideas much, and has always respected and supported her artistic career.
The two fell in love at first sight when they were young and quickly married, in the society at that time, married women did not yet have too many independent choices, under the pressure of society and human feelings, they often returned to the family and lived the life of a husband and godson, but Anna did not want to give up her artistic dream, she resisted the pressure of public opinion and continued to paint with the support of Mike, after all, this is her hobby and career since she was young.
Growing up in Skagen, Anna was familiar with the grass and trees here, and often depicted her hometown as a child, showing her talent for painting. After studying at the Vilhelm Kyhn School of Painting in Copenhagen, she continued to refine her painting skills, focusing on the subtle relationship between light and color, experimenting with it in her works and gradually forming her own creative style.
Anna's works cut in from a female perspective, with a soft, quiet look, incorporating bright colors and delicate depictions of light, slightly floating light screen curtains, mottled light and shadow on the walls, warm furnishings in the interior... Every detail in the picture makes people feel the beauty of everyday life.
Her creations are all derived from fragments of her life in Skagen, without extravagant and exquisite celebrity dinners, nor abstract and obscure symbols of suffering, the simple and authentic daily life of Skagen's local residents has become her creation. She focuses on her beloved hometown and people, leaving every moment that touches her on the drawing paper, which is both an artistic creation and a precious memoir.
Anna Ancher "Sunshine in the Blue Room"
Perhaps it is the blessing of the identity of wife and motherhood, so that Anna's creation has a lot of attention to family affection, her masterpiece "Sunshine in the Blue Room" (also known as "Blue Annie") depicts a young daughter quietly imitating her grandmother's yarn, the afternoon sun spills on all corners of the room, making the picture brighter and warmer, and the girl carefully studies the needle and thread in her hand by the window, which makes people unbearable to disturb for fear of destroying the quiet of this room. Anna pours her feelings for her daughter into her work, and the blue room is full of love.
In addition to documenting life, Anna also constantly excavates self-expression and contemplation of women's groups in her work, which is closely related to her own attention to women's sports. Her work Sørg depicts a naked blonde woman kneeling beside a cross with an elderly woman in a black robe, with her hands folded as if praying or mourning, while the young woman buried her face in thick hair, as if to repent and weep. The two form a natural contrast and conflict, under the story and drama of the picture, it is both a reflection of religious beliefs and a kind of discussion and questioning focusing on women themselves, and various understandings may be valid, Anna just threw out her own point of view.
Widely regarded as one of Denmark's greatest painters, Anna's influence lies both in her continuous exploration and breakthrough in her work and in her contribution to the cause of women's liberation. She set an example for women at that time with her practical actions, calling on more and more women to dare to pursue their dreams and speak up for their rights.
Anna's persistence has allowed her to find a balance between art and life, and the support from her husband Mike is one of her strengths. For the opinionated Anna, she wants to create and live, and she can manage it well.
Source: Chinese watercolor
Author: Shu You