Helmer Sigurd Fritiof Hertzhoff, born in northern Sweden under the name Boding, was a Swedish painter, draughtsman, and graphic designer.

He was part of that generation of Nordic painters who, between the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, found a way to mediate between the academic tradition and the new examples of naturalism and European Symbolism. His research formed part of a broader renewal of Swedish painting, marked by a dialogue with the Düsseldorf school, the French influence of Impressionism and Realism, and landscapes inspired by Nordic light. Hertzhoff’s work reveals a sensitive observation of nature, handled with a balance between an atmospheric rendering and a constructive solidity of form, and ideally linked to that pictorial line which, while faithful to reality, leaned towards a lyrical transfiguration of the landscape. A solitary but significant figure, he helped to consolidate a pictorial language that was able to blend technical precision and tonal refinement, elements which today make him of particular interest in the study of Scandinavian painting from the early twentieth century. He was primarily self-taught and adopted the name Hertzhoff when he began his career as an artist. His production focused mainly on landscapes, with particular attention to atmospheric and lighting effects, consistent with the Nordic sensibility in rendering the “climate” and seasonal light.

The Aurora Borealis is a rather rare subject, which perfectly exemplifies his appreciation of the weather in the northern regions. The scene is built on the wide celestial vault, crossed by beams of green and bluish light which are reflected in the still waters of two alpine lakes, generating an effect of visual resonance between the sky and the earth. The palette, calibrated between the cold tones of the night and the sudden flashes of colour of the atmospheric phenomenon, yields a suspended, almost metaphysical atmosphere. This work shows Hertzhoff’s interest in the pictorial translation of extreme natural phenomena, combining direct observation and a lyrical construction of the scene that brings it closer to the Symbolist inclinations so widespread in Scandinavian painting of the early twentieth century.

 

He had one-man shows at the Hallin Art Gallery in Stockholm in 1909 and 1911, at Valand in Gothenburg in 1911 and at the Lilla Galleriet in Stockholm in 1931. He also participated in numerous group exhibitions, including that of the artists’ association in Berlin in 1910 and in Uppsala in 1950.

 

His works are to be found in the collections of the Nationalmuseum in Stockholm, the Thielska Galleriet in Stockholm, the Gothenburg Museum of Art, and Prince Eugene’s Waldemarsudde.