WORKS FROM 1965-82 – AARNE ELOMAA

PRESS RELEASE

Aarne Elomaa, a prominent figure in Satakunta’s art scene for over thirty years, made his initial impact on both local and national art exhibitions with a style reminiscent of November Group expressionism. His early works from the early 1950s, often characterized by dark-toned landscapes and portraits, displayed a clear structural composition and a cohesive overall visual impact.

In some of his pieces from this period, Elomaa ventured into near-complete abstraction, such as with the work “Circus” (1952), experimenting with palette knife techniques to create lively surface textures. As a young artist with solid drawing skills, Elomaa developed an interest in theoretical aspects of art, turning his focus toward compositional challenges. Feeling that the emotional expression characteristic of his earlier works did not align with his artistic identity, he soon pivoted to exploring painting’s structural aspects using a cubist-influenced visual language.

Elomaa’s expression remained representational, but it became increasingly defined by disciplined composition and a rich interplay of colors. These qualities are particularly prominent in the still lifes he painted throughout the 1950s. His focus on the structural elements of painting eventually led him to fully embrace geometric abstraction toward the end of that decade. However, his abstract phase was relatively brief, and the prevailing trend of the 1960s, informalism, left only fleeting influences on his work, primarily in surface texturing techniques.

By the 1960s, Elomaa returned to representational art, seeking to maintain a connection to the surrounding reality while preserving his structural approach. His mastery of composition reached new heights during this period, exemplified by the monumental painting “Quarry” (1964). This work features a tightly rhythmic surface division, creating a dynamically composed spatial scene. This phase also includes powerfully rendered portraits like “Nun” (1964) and starkly simplified architectural groups.

The realism of the past decade in Elomaa’s art leans toward a spirit of magical realism. In his more recent paintings and woodcuts, he revisits disciplined landscapes and portraits, often centered around geometric structural elements such as clusters of buildings. These are contrasted by skies rich in lyrical nuances. The vertical rhythm of tree trunks and delicate branching crowns often ties these contrasting elements together, or lyrical details are interwoven into the structural parts as nuanced surface treatments.

Elomaa’s starting point is often a real, existing subject, but during the creative process, it transforms into structural elements that combine to form a new whole, guided solely by the internal logic of the artwork itself. The final result is more than a mere compositional solution; it imbues the landscape with an intense, timeless atmosphere that borders on hyper-realism.

Throughout all stages of Aarne Elomaa’s career, a defining characteristic is his rational approach to the creative process. His work consistently reflects a meticulously considered structure of compositional elements, along with a strategic and controlled use of technical methods to enhance expression. In this, he aligns with the disciplined tradition in Finnish art that Unto Pusa described as rejecting both aesthetic laxity and the vague mystique of artistic ecstasy.

(From the exhibition catalog “Aarne Elomaa,” introductory essay “Aarne Elomaa – askeettinen sommittelija” (Aarne Elomaa – An Ascetic Composer) by Pertti Ala-Outinen, published by Pori Art Museum)

Translated with ChatGPT