Harvesters (Ancher)

"Harvesters" is a captivating 1905 oil painting by Danish artist Anna Ancher, a distinguished member of the Skagen Painters—a group of artists who thrived in Skagen, Denmark, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Born in Skagen, Ancher is celebrated for her masterful use of light, particularly in domestic scenes and religious themes, as well as her studies of her mother.

In "Harvesters" Ancher diverges from the usual themes of the Skagen Painters, who often focused on local fishing communities or home life. Instead, she presents a man and two women ready to harvest in the fields of Skagen. This painting is rich in symbolism: the man, wielding a scythe, represents death, while the women, engaged in their work, symbolize life. This contrast adds a layer of depth and intrigue to the scene.

Ancher's choice to depict a harvest might have been inspired by the farms near her Skagen home. "Harvesters" is housed at Skagens Museum and is actually a smaller version of an earlier piece titled "Harvest Time" which can be found at the Fuglsang Art Museum. The key differences between the two works are the direction in which the workers are facing and the way light falls on their faces.