Born June 9 1849, died September 19 1927
Michael Ancher was born on Bornholm, but spent all of his artistic life in the Skaw. He rose to fame because of his paintings of Danish fishermen, both portraits and full-figure paintings. His paintings are classics, and he is probably one of Denmarks most popular artists. His paintings are both realistic tales of real life and monumental figural compositions, for instance Vil han klare pynten? (Will he weather the point?)(1880). The cornerstone of his life's work is seen as the heroic epic Redningsbåden køres gennem klitterne (The Life Boad is droven through the dune)(1883), Mandskabet reddet (The Crew saved)(1894) and Den druknede (The drowned)(1896).
Michael Ancher was characerized by his traditional education from Kunstakademiet in the 1870's, where strict rules were set for composing a picture, and he had a hard time adapting during the modern breakthrough in the scandinavian pictorial art in the Skaw. Through the marriage with Anna Ancher he aquired the naturalistic idea of depicting the naked truth of reality and its colours. Though the combining of his youths strict composition and the teachings from the naturalism he created, what has been called modern monumental figurative art, for instance En barnedåb (A Christening)(1883-87).