The Art of Advent: Day Twenty Two
By Isabelle Holloway
The 22nd of December carries us north toward the boreal forests of Sweden where, along silent, snow-lush lowlands, a small, red-capped creature known as a ‘tomte’ treks on.
Lennart Helje, Tomte och rådjur (UNICEF), 243x90 mm, Pictura.
Swedish artist Lennart Helje depicted tomten, or Swedish gnomes which traditionally protect the homes and farms of their inhabitants, in much of his illustrations. He often accompanied his tomten with other animals such as foxes, birds, and cats, setting them in picturesque, wintry landscapes. Yuletide motifs like holly and wrapped gifts also nestle within the spruce and pine of such landscapes, between which might glow the windows of wooden ‘stugor’, or Swedish cottages.
Throughout his career, Helje incorporated the subjects and landscapes of his illustrations into holiday-themed stamps, cards as in those published for UNICEF, and collection plates featured for Finnish ceramics company Arabia
Lennart Helje, Tomte och hare, 1976, Eliasson.
Regardless of how his illustrations are exhibited, Helje’s delicate pieces unanimously inspire the true, Swedish sense of ‘mysig’, or cosy contentedness. His tomten teach that warmth can be found even in the coldest nights of winter - whether in solitary wanderings down country roads, a bowl of porridge topped with a slab of butter, or in time spent with people and animals.
However, wherever you decide to spend your holiday season this year, try and find a moment for peace, warmth, and reflection, particularly as the New Year approaches.
As you ponder upon the magical artwork of Helje, I leave you with a resounding message, as derived from one of his cards shown below: “god Jul!”
Lennart Helje, Korrespondenskort, 2015, 80x166 mm, Pictura.
Bibliography:
Nuth, Grace. 2020. “The Yule Gnomes of Lennart Helje.” Grace Nuth. December 14, 2020. https://www.gracenuth.com/blog/lennarthelje.
“Svenska Fågelkonstnärer.” n.d. Birds.nu. Accessed December 21, 2023. http://birds.nu/vyk5_78.htm.
“Swedish Gnome.” n.d. Tomtar & Troll. Accessed December 21, 2023. https://www.tomtar.se/swedish-gnome/.