(A)temporal Art Histories on Sickness and Modernity

The premiss of my phD project is Nordic nineteenth century art depicting the sick bed interior. Through the application of theories related to time I compare this motif in and over time with the aim of creating a condensed art history with regard to this specific motif and related motifs. I embrace the anachrony or temporal ambiguities in these images and regard them as being part of a larger system of images that through dialectics creates layers of emotions or intimacy related to intersubjectivity at the threshold state. Apart from contributing to the art historiographical field related to time, this project is of relevance for the medical humanities as a means of widening perspectives both theoretically and in practice, not least by showing how art can be studied in medical training to gain increased understanding for the holistic subject and thus create enhanced empathy.