Looking In

Elling Reitan’s Works Encourage Contemplation and Introspection

- Tanya Singh

Elling Reitan is often called “the artist with the beautiful colours”. Starting his artistic career with a juried exhibition in Trondhjem’s Kunstforening (Art Society) in 1979, Reitan has practiced under the tutelage of Norwegian Masters like Odd Nerdrum and Bjørn Sverrbo. The artist also considers Jens Johannessen, an established Norwegian painter and graphic artist, his mentor.

Reitan has developed a unique style of painting that reflects the physical world that we inhabit and the emotional experiences we all go through. His contemplative oil paintings are instantly recognisable and yet encompass several layers of interpretations within them. “The aim of my paintings is to say something about the world we are living in,” he says. “However, there are no fixed meanings. I like people to search for themselves and see what they can find. Most of my artworks can be interpreted in many different ways.”