Write what you know!
by lmkluque
The advise given to writers is, "Write what you know about." Painters aren't bound by this concept, but in Skagen it seems, that most of the artists did paint family members and what they saw everyday around town. Most of the collection in Skagen's museum is full of local subjects and local scenes. There seemed to be two styles popular with Michael Ancher. First, the heavy naturalism in Danish painting that moved into a more colorful , lighter and brighter style influenced by French Impressionism--which I like very much.
Prior to walking through the museum I had no appreciation for the heavier style of Danish painting. However, as I stepped into one of the rooms of the museum, I came face-to-face with this bigger than life, death bed scene. Immobilize by the raw truth of the moment, hot, burning tears flowed spontaneously from my eyes. That particular day happened to be the first year anniversity of a dear friend's death. I hadn't been thinking about it but the reality of the painting reminded me of the devastation suffered, by his friends and family.
I continued through the museum and took a second look at these dark, almost photographic paintings and saw the revealed history of Skagen and it's residents.
Life of the North Sea
by Zandra
The North Sea Museum is a combined museum and aquarium with several tanks, displaying about 60 different fish species from the North Sea.
The museum opened up in 1984 and in 1988 a large extension - the Oceanarium was added. The Oceanarium contained 4, 5 million liters of water and used to be the largest aquarium in Europe, but sadly it was ravaged by a violent fire in December 2003, killing lots of fish including the famous giant sunfish. Reconstruction of the building has begun and is has been estimated that the Oceanarium can be reopened in spring 2005.
However, there's still much to sea and learn at the North Sea Museum. The Sealarium, built in 2001, was not affected by the fire and it is by far the most impressive display of seals I've ever seen; you can watch the seals swim both on the top of the surface, as well as from underneath.
Vippefyr
by lbhspatriot
Skagen is a site of one of Denmark’s earliest lighthouses, the vippefyr or bascule light ( tipping lantern) that is an old fashioned lighthouse basically. It was a type of navigational aid very popular in Denmark. This lantern is made of wood and has a little basket attached where coal was put it and the burned. It looks a little like a playground seesaw or an old fashioned scale. A reconstruction of the lighthouse It is located in North Skagen, very near Grenen beach.
Vippefyret
by ValbyDK
Vippefyret (bascule light) is located just outside the centre of Skagen, and is a reconstruction of a original vippefyr which was built in 1626. They were very popular in Denmark in the 18th century and before and consisted of a basket in which coal or wood was burned.
The reconstruction in Skagen stands on a little hill about 25metres above sea level and you have a wonderful view of the coastline from the hill.
If you walk from Skagen to Grenen, you will pass Vippefyret on your way.
Skagen museum - for great local painters
by globetrott
It was the special light of the area around Skagen that made plenty of well-known painters decide to spend some time there and so you may see their paintings in the Skagen Museum today. Anne Archer, Michael Ancher, H.Drachmann,S.Kroyer and many others made sure by their paintings, that the ordinary, hard life of the danish population in former centuries comes alive, when seeing their paintings today. The Art-colony of Skagen was founded a long time before the stream of tourists detected Skagen as a special place for their vacation.
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Grenen
Vippefyret
Michael and Anna Ancher's House
View of the Danish landscape
