Ekelund was, in addition to being an artist, also a poet and an art critic. He was a member of the artist groups Septemgruppen and Prisma. He studied painting at the Finnish Art Society’s drawing school and studied both art history and Nordic philology at the University of Helsinki. He was primarily inspired by the French modernists, such as Paul Cézanne. He made numerous trips to Southern Europe, where he painted desolate architectural cityscapes. Regardless of whether the subjects of the paintings are urban landscapes, interiors, or still lifes, they are all characterized by a harmonious color palette with a clear geometric structure.