She researches 19th century images of arctic nature
Katarina Wadstein MacLeod is professor of history of art at the Department of Culture and Aesthetics. She is one of the new professors who will be installed at a ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall on September 27.
“Right now I am researching images, illustrations and works of art from the middle and the end of the 19th century that depict the nature and landscape of the northern Nordic region. It is during this period that a stereotypical image of Arctic landscapes became the norm in the West and the typical example is an icy blue sea with white icebergs or ice floes without people or animal species other than polar bears or whales. In my project I am interested in investigating motifs and figures beyond the stereotype and how the same nature and landscape were simultaneously depicted through a variety of motifs, for example the fishing industry, life on land, sea animals and people, as well as summer green fields and mountains, not just winter white mountain ranges.”
“The problem with stereotypes is not that they are false, Svalbard, for example, is periodically covered in snow, ice and it is a dangerous place. The problem is that they are incomplete and erase the diversity of stories. To understand how complex the nature of the northern Nordic region is, we can be better served by looking at its complexity, the life lived there by people and animals, the seasonal changes. Artists have already devoted themselves to this and my task is to seek out and interpret these depictions.”
The artists Katarina Wadstein MacLeod works with in particular are the French artist François-Auguste Biard (1799–1882) and the Swedish artist Anna Scholander Boberg (1864–1935).
How did you get into this?
“My research on, among other things, representation of gender and norms, center and periphery and an interest in contemporary art has led me to one of the fateful questions of our time: how we should relate to nature and the environment in the climate crisis. For me as an art historian, it is interesting to consider contemporary issues and go back to historical periods and see what we have to learn from them.”
“At the same time, I highlight artists who were in the shadows for large parts of the 20th century, but who were established during their active period and whose art had a great impact and thus contributed to the understanding of, among other things, arctic nature and the northern Nordic landscape.”
What has been most exciting so far?
“The most striking thing is the diversity of depictions of, among other things, Lofoten and Svalbard bathed in sunlight, summer greenery and life, both with animals and people. It is a type of motif that has been absent in, for example, communication about climate and environmental issues where the stereotype of a lonely iceberg empty of life has dominated.”
Inauguration and Conferment ceremony in the City Hall
Katarina Wadstein MacLeod is one of the new professors who were employed during 1 July 2023–30 June 2024. All new professors who took office during this period are invited to the Inauguration and conferment ceremony in the Stockholm City Hall 27 September 2024. The professorial installation is the occasion when the new professors are welcomed to the university and their different subject areas are brought to attention.
Last updated: September 5, 2024
Source: Communications Office