Viggo Johansen (1851–1935) is the Skagen painter who is known and recognised for depicting life in the home. As a romantic with a distinct sense of atmosphere, he continued in the footsteps of the Danish Golden Age, maintaining the beautiful and the picturesque in his intimate paintings of interiors. With poetic and luminous colour, Johansen’s Skagen landscapes were inspired by French Impressionism.
Martha Møller, Michael Ancher and the Others
At the age of 17, Viggo Johansen studied at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, specialising in the then prestigious figure painting. He never completed his studies, but instead went to Skagen in 1875 at the urging of his fellow student, Michael Ancher. Here, he met Martha Møller, cousin of Anna Ancher, whom he married in 1880. The couple spent many summers in Skagen in the 1880s with their growing family and in the beloved company of the Skagen painters.
The Art of Atmospheres and An Evening Party in the Artist’s Home
In Copenhagen, Viggo Johansen taught at De Frie Studieskoler, the Women’s Art School at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts, and from 1906-1920, as a professor at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts. Having truly mastered the art of atmospheres, Viggo Johansen’s interior paintings are important masterpieces of Danish art. His most famous painting is probably “Glade jul” (Silent Night) from 1891 (The Hirschsprung Collection), while “Aftenselskab i mit hjem” (An Evening Party in the Artist’s Home) from 1899 (National Gallery of Denmark) is an icon within the genre.
