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Summer sketched: the Skagen Painters in Denmark

colour painting, two women in white dresses walking along a beach

A group of Scandinavian artists gathered in Skagen in the 19th century

by
Adrian Murphy (opens in new window) (Europeana Foundation)

When summer comes, we often leave cities and head to the countryside and seaside with friends.

Nowadays we maybe go to Ibiza or Provence, but a group of artists and their families in 19th century Denmark headed for Skagen, a fishing village in the north of Denmark.

The Skagen Painters were a group of Scandinavian artists who gathered there from around the 1870s to the end of the 19th century.

Holidaying in Skagen, they were inspired by the village's scenery, landscape and fishing community - all of which were captured by their many paintings.

colour painting, a moon shining in the sky over the sea and a beach
colour painting, a group of fishermen wearing hats who are talking, they are all standing except for one man who sits on the edge of a small boat
sketch with two small boats coming into a beach, with two figures awaiting them

Though rooted in the specifics of Skagen, their artworks also capture many universal summer activities - taking long walks on the beach, swimming in the sea, soaking up the sun, enjoying picnic, walking in the woods - all the things that make for enjoyable summer days.

colour painting, two girls with sitting their backs to the viewer in a green field on a clear day with clouds on a blue sky,
colour painting, two boys play on a beach, one stands in the sea while the other sits on the sand, the sun is shining brightly above them

The artworks of painter P.S. Krøyer particularly capture this. They feature the white sandy beaches and beautiful blue skies of Skagen, where at its peak in June and July, the sun rises around 4am and sets around 10pm.

colour painting of a beach, with green vegetation growing on sand with a cloudy and blue sky above
colour painting, a group of men on a beach, four lie on the sand while one looks out to see, a small boat in the background

These artists' depictions of Skagen are summer memories made in paint. We hope you enjoyed this short selection of Skagen paintings - you can learn much more about the Skagen Painters on Wikipedia.