Arne Ekeland 36ima Biennale di Venezia (Venezia, 1972)
ARNE EKELAND The 64-year-old painter, Arne Ekeland, is one of the most uncompromising and lonely representatives of Norwegian art. He lives in a small agricultural-industrial community 60 kilometers north of Oslo, the same place where he was born, spent his childhood and began his career as a painter at a most difficult and troubled time filled with violent social conflicts stemming from the struggle between those who defended the established values and those who pioneered revolutionary, new ideas. Not many people know this artist, the son of a worker who has chosen to remain faithful to his class and his milieu. Being extremely reticent, he has exhibited his paintings only rarely. Whenever he has given people a chance to look at his paintings, however, they have been filled with contemplation and wonder. Only Edvard Munch before him among Nordic painters has been able to shock and enthuse viewers in the same way. While Munch penetrated deeper and deeper into the human mind Arne Ekeland is projecting his energies against the forces that direct and control our lives. Arne Ekeland’s paintings have always aroused interest far beyond the limited circle of the traditional art lovers. His dramatic paintings depict the pulp mills and other places of work in his native district. Struggling and suffering mankind