Artwork
Plucking the Geese
Plucking the Geese is an oil painting by the Impressionist artist Anna Ancher. It dates from 1904 and is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst.
About this work
Subject & Meaning
Plucking the Geese (1904) is an oil‑on‑canvas genre scene by Anna Ancher, housed in the Statens Museum for Kunst.
Plucking the Geese (1904) is an oil‑on‑canvas genre scene by Anna Ancher, housed in the Statens Museum for Kunst. The composition shows a group of figures, including a woman, a man, a child in a headscarf, and a basket, surrounded by Anserini (geese), a window, a feather, a bench and a kasket. These elements collectively create a domestic interior that emphasizes ordinary rural life.
The painting’s subject thus centers on everyday activities and the quiet presence of household members, reflecting early‑twentieth‑century Danish interest in intimate, unembellished scenes of labor and family.
Technique & Style
Executed in 1904, Plucking the Geese is an oil painting on canvas by Anna Ancher. The work measures 55 by 67 centimeters and depicts a domestic genre scene featuring figures engaged in processing poultry. Stylistically, the composition includes specific details such as a window, a basket, scattered feathers, and a bench, grounding the activity in a tangible interior space.
The figures are characterized by distinct attire, including headscarves and caps, which contribute to the narrative realism of the piece. As a genre painting, it focuses on the everyday labor of women and men within a household setting. The work is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst, where it has been featured in exhibitions surveying Danish art history.
History & Provenance
Anna Ancher created the oil painting Plucking the Geese in 1904. Executed on canvas, the work measures 55 by 67 centimeters and depicts a genre scene featuring figures engaged in plucking geese within an interior setting. The painting is currently held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen, which serves as its primary known location.
While specific details regarding the original commission or the immediate chain of ownership between the artist's studio and the museum are not provided in the available records, the work's historical trajectory includes its participation in the exhibition From Golden Age to Cobra: 150 years of Danish Art. The piece remains a significant example of Ancher's output from the early twentieth century.
Plucking the Geese (1904) by Anna Ancher is held in the collection of the Statens Museum for Kunst in Copenhagen. The oil-on-canvas work, measuring 55 by 67 centimeters, depicts a genre scene featuring figures plucking geese near a window. While specific inventory or accession numbers are not provided in the available records, the painting has been included in significant exhibitions highlighting Danish art history.
Notably, it was featured in the exhibition titled From Golden Age to Cobra: 150 years of Danish Art, which showcased the evolution of artistic styles in Denmark over a century and a half.
Legacy
Plucking the Geese has come to symbolize Anna Ancher’s mastery of everyday genre scenes, reinforcing her reputation as a central figure in the Skagen Painters’ legacy. The 1904 oil on canvas, housed in Statens Museum for Kunst, was featured in the retrospective “From Golden Age to Cobra: 150 years of Danish Art,” exposing it to a broad audience and linking it to later movements that valued naturalistic depiction of rural life. Scholars cite the work when discussing Ancher’s role in elevating domestic interior and coastal subjects, and its inclusion in major exhibitions has contributed to a sustained appreciation of her contribution to Danish modernism.
Overview
Anna Ancher, a prominent member of the Skagen Painters, completed Plucking the Geese in 1904. This oil painting captures a domestic genre scene, characteristic of the Impressionist movement. The artwork, depicting the labor-intensive process of feather removal, is currently housed in the collection of Statens Museum for Kunst.
Context
Anna Ancher was a pivotal artist within the Skagen Painters, a group of Scandinavian artists who congregated in the remote fishing village of Skagen, Denmark, during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Their work often focused on local life, landscapes, and the unique quality of light in the region. Plucking the Geese exemplifies Ancher's commitment to depicting the daily routines and domestic labor of ordinary people.
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Artist & collection
Artist
Anna Ancher (18 August 1859 – 15 April 1935) was a Danish artist associated with the Skagen Painters, an artist colony on the northern point of Jylland, Denmark. She is considered to be one of Denmark's greatest visual artists.
