[Commlist] Call for Contributions: 'Art and film interrelations on Nordic Screens'

Call for Contributions: Journal of Scandinavian Cinema

In Focus section on: 'Art and film interrelations on Nordic Screens'

View the full call here>>

https://www.intellectbooks.com/journal-of-scandinavian-cinema#call-for-papers 
<https://www.intellectbooks.com/journal-of-scandinavian-cinema#call-for-papers>

This is a call for short subject contributions (2000-3500 words) 
focusing on the various ways film and television are related to art. As 
explored by scholars such as Angela Dalle Vacche in Cinema and Painting: 
How Art Is Used in Film(1996), Steven Jacobs in Framing Pictures: Film 
and the Visual Arts(2011) and Ivo Blom in Reframing Luchino Visconti: 
Film and Art(2017), this interrelation takes many forms but remains 
severely underdiscussed, especially in a Nordic context.

Most obvious examples are perhaps biopics on artists. Recent years have 
seen a fair number of works on women painters – such as Marie [Krøyer] 
(Bille August, 2012), Hilma [af Klint] (Lasse Hallström, 2022) and 
Helene[Schjerfbeck] (Antti J. Jokinen, 2020) – complementing earlier 
depictions of male artists such as [Anders] Zorn(Gunnar Hellström, 1994) 
and Edvard Munch(Peter Watkins, 1974). Each film places particular 
emphasis on the personal and artistic journey. Other works offer 
representations of different aspects of the creation and exhibition of 
art, involving (fictional) artists, as in The Painter (Göran du Rées and 
Christina Olofson, 1982), the work of art dealers, as in A Last 
Deal(Klaus Härö, 2018), or curators and museum directors, as in The 
Square(Ruben Östlund, 2017), or a combination of all of these, as in 
Gabriela Pichler’s series Painkiller(2024).

There is also a long tradition of using art, and specific artworks, as 
inspiration and reference in films. This includes silent era classics 
using mise enscène to resemble works of art or illustrations to 
published books, such as Terje Vigen(Victor Sjöström, 1917), inspired by 
Christian Krogh’s illustrations of the 1905 edition of Ibsen’s poem, or 
Synnöve Solbakken(John W. Brunius, 1919), which incorporated elements 
from nineteenth-century national romanticist paintings such as Adolf 
Tidemand’s The Haugians(1848). This practice continues today; for 
example, Aki Kaurismäki’s The Man Without a Past(2002) includes a 
passing reference to Hugo Simberg’s The Wounded Angel(1903), Arnold 
Böcklin’s Isle of the Dead(1880) is thematized in Óskar Þór Axelsson’s I 
Remember You(2017), and Caspar David Friedrich's Woman Before the Rising 
Sun(1818) suggests a parallel to the protagonist’s mother in Evil 
(Mikael Håfström, 2003). Films often include works of art as part of the 
setting – sometimes well-known, but often more difficult or impossible 
to recognize – adding another layer of meaning. Sometimes, these 
artworks are used more extensively in the story, as with the framed 
print of an angel in Lilya 4-ever(Lukas Moodysson, 2002).

As implied throughout Gillian McIver's Art History for Filmmakers: The 
Art of Visual Storytelling (2019), art can help establish period detail, 
composition, colour, lighting and many other aspects. Consequently, film 
workers in various roles draw inspiration from art in their work. 
Directors, production designers and cinematographers use art to 
visualize scenes, ensuring a cohesive visual style and emotional tone. 
Costume designers, makeup artists and visual effects (VFX) artists draw 
from paintings, sculptures and drawings to design sets, props and 
costumes, transform actors and create immersive environments and 
authentic period details. For example, in contemporary global streaming 
culture, the Norwegian film Troll(Roar Uthaug, 2022), Netflix's most 
popular non-English film, draws inspiration from Norwegian folklore and 
classic works such as Theodor Severin Kittelsen’s Troll at the Karl 
Johan Street(1892). Similarly, Simon Stålenhag's retro-futuristic 
digital art has been reworked into Amazon’s Tales from the Loop(2020) 
and Netflix’ upcoming The Electric State(2025), showcasing how visual 
art can inspire and shape narrative storytelling in new media formats.

As can be seen, there is a plentitude of possible topics, including:

  *

    Artist biopics and their portrayal of artistic journeys

  *

    The use of art and artworks as sources of inspiration for filmmakers

  *

    Diegetic works of art and their varied thematic and narrative functions

  *

    The influence of visual art on aesthetic choices in Nordic cinema

  *

    The role of art in the work of specific filmmaking professionals
    (e.g., directors, production designers, cinematographers)

  *

    Comparative studies of art references in Nordic and non-Nordic films

Please pull together your creative thoughts and send a brief abstract to 
(anders.marklund /at/ litt.lu.se) <mailto:(anders.marklund /at/ litt.lu.se)> by 1 
April 2025. Finished short subjects are expected no later than 15 
September. Make sure that you follow the most recent Notes for Contributors:

https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/90210/1/JSCA_NFCs_December_2024.pdf 
<https://www.intellectbooks.com/asset/90210/1/JSCA_NFCs_December_2024.pdf>

Additional note: Part of the 2025 Lübeck Film Studies Colloquium (7-8 
November) will be dedicated to Film and Art, as will the Lübeck Nordic 
Film Day <https://www.nordische-filmtage.de/en>s’ retrospective film 
series. Contributors to this In Focus section are welcome to 
participate. Please communicate your (preliminary) interest when you 
submit your proposal.

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