Along with his portraits, Johansen loved to capture scenes of domestic family life. The painting Doctor's Visit to the Bedside of a Young Boy is a classic demonstration of Johansen's interior settings with a young boy lying sick in bed while his distraught parents look on as the doctor tends to his patient.  His interior works demonstrate his masterful play with light effects.  Most of Johansen's interior scenes take place in a darkened or candlelit room.  Here, Johansen appears to capture the faint light entering from a window, highlighting the doctor and his young patient. In the darkened background, the concerned parents hold watch as the doctor examines his patient. 

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From 1885, he exhibited in Paris. There he was inspired by Claude Monet, particularly in his use of color. He had noted the absence of black in the works of the French artists and considered his own earlier works too dark by comparison.  After his return from Paris, his paintings took on lighter tones. Nevertheless, Johansen is remembered particularly for the subdued lighting effects of his interiors, as demonstrated in Doctor's Visit to the Bedside of a Young Boy, many of which were painted after his visit to Paris.