Johannes Pietersen was educated at the academy in The Hague, at the Bik en Vaandrager Institute and was also taught by Willem de Zwart and J.H. Franken. In 1928 he left his hometown for Hilversum, to move to Laren in 1959. During his life he made several (study) trips to Belgium and France. Pietersen painted in the style of the Hague School: landscapes, flower still lifes and city scenes of old neighborhoods and streets. He was one of the founders of the Association of Visual Artists in Hilversum and the one in Laren.