After attending the public schools of Geneva, he studied art with
Barthélemy Menn and
Auguste Baud-Bovy. In 1886, he went to
Algiers, to join his mother and brother after his father's death. He stayed until 1888 and returned on two other occasions; 1889-1890 and 1893-1896. During these visits, he developed an interest in
Orientalism, a genre which was already in favor with some of his compatriots, including
Charles Gleyre and
Auguste Veillon. His paintings there were executed in the traditional styles he had learned in Geneva. In 1896 Hermanjat, then married, returned with his wife Marie Louise, née Zénobel (1855–1955), to Switzerland and initially settled in
Lausanne. In 1908, they moved to Aubonne. By 1911, he had built a cottage there, where he lived until his death. He soon abandoned Orientalism and turned to landscapes, spending much of his time in the mountains; primarily near
Aigle, although he also visited
Valais,
Nendaz,
Haute-Nendaz and
Verbier. His paintings from this period owe much to the influence of
Giovanni Segantini. During the years 1908 to 1912, he became attracted to Fauvism and began applying non-natural colors to his landscapes. In 1910, following genealogical research, he began spelling his name "Hermanjat", rather than "Hermenjat" as he had previously. It was also at this time that he made the acquaintance of
Ferdinand Hodler and was influenced by
Symbolism. Over the next decade, however, Cézanne would supplant Hodler as his primary inspiration. From 1910 to 1928, he was a member of the Central Committee of the Society of Swiss Painters, Sculptors and Architects (SPSAS). He also served on the Federal Commission for Fine Arts from 1922 to 1925. This was in addition to several teaching positions and jury service for art competitions. His adopted daughter, Germaine Hermanjat (1909-2002), started out to be a painter but devoted herself to the promotion of his works. In 2003, following her death, money she had bequeathed to the city of
Nyon was used to create the Abraham Hermanjat Foundation. In 2012, the , the
Musée du Léman and the foundation joined, on the occasion of his 150th anniversary, to present the first major showing of his works in over thirty years. == Selected paintings ==