I køkkenet. Tante Nanna skræller kartofler

Painted in 1884, this kitchen scene depicts Aunt Nanna peeling potatoes — an ordinary domestic task rendered with the same attentiveness Johansen brought to any subject he considered worth painting. The choice of such a plainly utilitarian subject reflects the Impressionist and realist conviction that the significance of a subject lies not in its inherent grandeur but in the quality of attention the painter brings to it. Johansen was at this point establishing his identity as a painter of domestic interiors, and the kitchen — with its practical activities, working light, and familiar figures — was central to that project. Aunt Nanna, like other family members who appear throughout Johansen's work, is depicted without idealisation: engaged in her task, absorbed and unperforming. The peeling of potatoes situates the scene firmly in the working domestic sphere rather than the more decorated reception rooms favoured by painters of bourgeois social life. The work belongs to a body of kitchen paintings through which Johansen made the everyday life of the Danish household a subject worthy of serious pictorial attention.

The composition focuses on a single figure engaged in a contained task, with the surrounding kitchen space providing context without competing for attention. Johansen uses light falling on the figure's hands and the vegetable matter in her lap to create a focal point within the scene. The palette is warm and domestic, with the cool exterior light filtered through the kitchen's specific atmosphere.