Three persons seen from behind. Study for A field sermon.

Three Persons Seen from Behind. Study for A Field Sermon (1903) is a preparatory study for Ancher's Field Sermon composition, focusing specifically on three figures at the back of the gathered congregation—seen from behind as they face the unseen preacher. Depicting figures from the back was an unusual compositional choice that several Skagen painters employed; it created a sense of the viewer being drawn into the scene rather than confronting it frontally. The study's focus on this specific group suggests Ancher was working out the compositional challenges of depicting a crowd from within, finding how to make anonymous backs expressive.

Three figures seen from the back present their shoulders, heads, and the backs of their clothing as the primary pictorial elements—a challenge that demands reading personality and social distinction from posture and dress alone. Ancher's direct observation of actual people in actual positions gives these backs an individuality that defeats anonymity. The outdoor light falls across them from a consistent direction, unifying the three figures while differentiating their forms.