Anker, Albert (1831-1910) - 1894 The Village Tailor (Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Switzerland)
Oil on canvas; 53 × 42 cm.
Anker was a painter and illustrator who has been called the "national painter" of Switzerland because of his enduringly popular depictions of 19th-century Swiss village life. He took early drawing lessons with Louis Wallinger in 1845–48. In 1849–51, he attended the Gymnasium in Berne. Afterwards, he studied theology, in Berne and continuing in Germany. In Germany he was inspired by the great art collections, and in 1854 he convinced his father to agree to an artistic career. He moved to Paris, where he studied with Charles Gleyre and attended the Ecole Impériale et Spéciale des Beaux-Arts in 1855–60. In 1866, he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon for Schlafendes Mädchen im Walde (1865) und Schreibunterricht (1865); in 1878 he was made a knight of the Légion d'honneur.
During his studies, Anker produced a series of works with historical and biblical themes. Soon after returning to Switzerland, though, he turned the everyday life of people in rural communities. His paintings depict his fellow citizens in an unpretentious and plain manner, without idealizing country life, but also without the critical examination of social conditions that can be found in the works of contemporaries such as Daumier, Courbet or Millet. Although Anker painted occasional scenes with a social significance, such as visits by usurers or charlatans to the village, his affirmative and idealistic Christian world-view did not include an inclination to issue any sort of overt challenge.
Anker was quick to reach his artistic objectives and never strayed from his chosen path. His works, though, exude a sense of conciliation and understanding as well as a calm trust in Swiss democracy; they are executed with great skill, providing brilliance to everyday scenes through subtle choices in coloring and lighting. His work made him Switzerland's most popular genre painter of the 19th century, and his paintings have continued to enjoy a great popularity due to their general accessibility. Indeed, as a student, Anker summed up his approach to art as follows: "One has to shape an ideal in one's imagination, and then one has to make that ideal accessible to the people."
Anker, Albert (1831-1910) - 1894 The Village Tailor (Kunstmuseum Solothurn, Switzerland)
Oil on canvas; 53 × 42 cm.
Anker was a painter and illustrator who has been called the "national painter" of Switzerland because of his enduringly popular depictions of 19th-century Swiss village life. He took early drawing lessons with Louis Wallinger in 1845–48. In 1849–51, he attended the Gymnasium in Berne. Afterwards, he studied theology, in Berne and continuing in Germany. In Germany he was inspired by the great art collections, and in 1854 he convinced his father to agree to an artistic career. He moved to Paris, where he studied with Charles Gleyre and attended the Ecole Impériale et Spéciale des Beaux-Arts in 1855–60. In 1866, he was awarded a gold medal at the Paris Salon for Schlafendes Mädchen im Walde (1865) und Schreibunterricht (1865); in 1878 he was made a knight of the Légion d'honneur.
During his studies, Anker produced a series of works with historical and biblical themes. Soon after returning to Switzerland, though, he turned the everyday life of people in rural communities. His paintings depict his fellow citizens in an unpretentious and plain manner, without idealizing country life, but also without the critical examination of social conditions that can be found in the works of contemporaries such as Daumier, Courbet or Millet. Although Anker painted occasional scenes with a social significance, such as visits by usurers or charlatans to the village, his affirmative and idealistic Christian world-view did not include an inclination to issue any sort of overt challenge.
Anker was quick to reach his artistic objectives and never strayed from his chosen path. His works, though, exude a sense of conciliation and understanding as well as a calm trust in Swiss democracy; they are executed with great skill, providing brilliance to everyday scenes through subtle choices in coloring and lighting. His work made him Switzerland's most popular genre painter of the 19th century, and his paintings have continued to enjoy a great popularity due to their general accessibility. Indeed, as a student, Anker summed up his approach to art as follows: "One has to shape an ideal in one's imagination, and then one has to make that ideal accessible to the people."