Swedish artist lennart helje christmas

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.

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

Regardless of how his illustrations are