Biography

Danish painter. He trained at the Kongelige Akademi for de Skønne Kunster from 1868 to 1875 under Jørgen Roed (1808-1888). In 1871 he began to visit the fishing hamlet of Hornbaek on the north coast of Zealand, not far from Copenhagen, often with painters such as Peter Severin Krøyer and Kristian Zahrtmann (1843-1917). Here Johansen painted pure landscapes, or alternatively figures from the village's traditional population, seen in their homes. A Meal (1877; Copenhagen, Hirschsprungske Samling) shows an elderly fisherman seated at table eating potatoes, attended by his wife; dull daylight from a window in which a net is drying illumines the frugal interior and worn figures.

Johansen belongs to the group of Skagen artists. He first became associated with the Skagen Painters in 1875, encouraged by his fellow students Karl Madsen and Michael Ancher. In 1880, he married Anna Ancher's cousin Martha Moller, who often served as a model.

From 1885, he exhibited in Paris; there he was inspired by Claude Monet, particularly in his use of colour as can be seen in his painting Christian Bindslev is Ill, 1890), which also shows the influence of Christian Krohg, one of the other Skagen painters.

After his return from Paris, his paintings took on lighter tones; he had noted the absence of black in the works of the French artists and considered his own earlier works too dark by comparison. Nevertheless, Johansen is remembered particularly for the subdued lighting effects of his interiors and his scenes of domestic family life, but he also painted landscapes.

From 1888 to 1906, he taught at the Artists Academy's School for Women. He then became a professor there until 1920 and, for a time, was one of its directors. He won many notable awards during his lifetime, including medals at exhibitions in Munich in 1889 and in Berlin in 1891, and a Gold Medal at the Exposition Universelle in 1899.