Walking into the Anna Ancher exhibition at Dulwich Picture Gallery feels like walking into a pat of butter, or, perhaps, more aptly, a ray of sunlight. The luscious pale yellow walls of the first two galleries immediately immerse you in what Ancher is most known for: her remarkably radical practice of painting light.
Ancher was born Anna Brøndum in 1859 and raised in Skagen, a wild region at the northern tip of Denmark known for its windswept beaches, ethereal light and wild seas. The area became a destination for artists in the late 19th century, one of whom, Michael Ancher, became Anna’s husband. Her exposure to working artists from her early teenage years put her on the path to becoming an artist herself, something that her parents and future husband both, unusually, unequivocally supported. She became part of what was eventually known as the Skagen Painters; as the only member who was actually from Skagen, her work had a depth of connection to place unmatched by her peers.
