Abstract:

Camellias, begonias, ferns, and palms! In the 19^th century there was a passion for plants, a veritable plant fever. Houseplants entered the Danish homes from the 1820s onwards and were part of this fever. The plants that suit the Danish indoor climate mainly come from tropical and subtropical areas, often former colonies, and many of these plants were brought to Europe by so-called ‘plant hunters’. The entry of the houseplant was reflected in 19^th century interior paintings. On the one hand, many houseplants thus have colonialist roots; on the other hand, they also played a part in the gendered politics of the 19^th century domestic sphere. Through near and distant readings of artworks from the period, this lecture will discuss the politics of houseplants – inside and outside the home.

Bio:

Pernille Leth-Espensen, PhD, is Researcher at Aesthetics & Culture, The School of Communication and Culture, Aarhus University. Her research field is the relation between art, science, and technology from different perspectives and periods. Her PhD and postdoc were centered around contemporary art created with technologies from the natural sciences. Furthermore, she has researched artworks interpreting the history of the mechanical clock, illustrations of animal-to-human blood transfusions, and the history of the doll. Currently, her research addresses the relation between plants, colonialism and gender in 19^th century Danish paintings in the interdisciplinary collective project Skjulte plantehistorier (Anette Vandsø, PI). Skjulte plantehistorier collaborates with Ordrupgaard and The Hirschsprung Collection on the exhibition Plantefeber.

Æstetisk Seminar F2025 er tilrettelagt af Mads Krogh og Lynge Stegger Gemzøe, Institut for Kommunikation og Kultur, Aarhus Universitet.

Æstetisk Seminar program og plakat F2025