"Never before have we seen the northern Swedish river valleys depicted in this way, never has the desolate grandeur of the Lapland and mountain expanses been interpreted as by Helmer Osslund."

So wrote the critic Gustaf Upmark after seeing the artist's exhibition at the Artists' House in Stockholm in the autumn of 1909. The exhibition would become Osslund's breakthrough, and it was his depictions of the northern landscapes that garnered the most attention. Even today, it is these landscapes for which Osslund is most admired.

In 1894, the then 27-year-old Osslund moved to Paris. He studied at the Académie Colarossi, where many of his Scandinavian artist colleagues had previously studied. Through the school, Osslund came into contact with the still relatively unknown artist Paul Gauguin, and the Swede had him as a teacher for six to eight weeks during February to April 1894. Despite the short period with Gauguin, the Frenchman's synthetism made a significant impression on Osslund.

Back in Sweden, Osslund settled in Fränsta in Medelpad in 1898. From that move on, Osslund would devote himself to northern Swedish landscape painting until his death in 1938. It is often said that Osslund preferred to paint in the autumn due to the vibrant colours that nature offered. However, it is evident in the countless summer, autumn, and winter scenes that he mastered all seasons.