The Gaze And Counter-gaze In The Works Of Contemporary Female Photographers

With the development of science and technology and various trends of thought,people in the twentieth century realized that there was an unequal gaze relationship in Western visual centrism.Against this historical background,the theory of "gaze" was formed.With the development of postmodern thinking and feminism,the theory of "gaze" has formed a more systematic theoretical research in the academic context of feminism.However,there are few theoretical studies that explore the relationship between men and women in the gaze from the perspective of photography.The purpose of this study is to explore the issue of gaze and counter-gaze in the works of female creators in contemporary photography.It is hoped to fill the theoretical gap in the relationship between the gaze of men and women from a photographic perspective.By tracing the origin of visual centrism through documentary research method,a visual hierarchy based on objective perception is revealed.In the history of art,women have long endured visual oppression from men as the second sex.Through the interdisciplinary research method,the gaze studies of Sartre,Lacan,and Foucault are sorted out with the help of philosophical and psychoanalytic theories.Through the comparative analysis method,the different expressions of artistic creation between men and women are compared,and the power relations hidden beneath the works are exposed from the perspective of the gaze.Through the case study method,the artworks of women in art history that shine with their artistic talents are presented,and the hardships of their artistic creation are also exposed.Through different types of anti-gaze creations in contemporary photography,we summarize the various possibilities of anti-gaze.This will further explore the challenges and problems that women face and need to avoid when creating counter-gaze.Women have always survived in art history as depicted.The absence of women in art history is only in terms of creatorship.But there have been very few women who have been able to pursue art because of their more open and inclusive families.We are also convinced that women are capable of creating art,but that social norms constrain them.The birth of photography made "surveillance" as ubiquitous as a ghost.People questioned visual centrism and began to expose the unequal relationship of the gaze from different perspectives,thus resisting it.The theories of Sartre,Lacan and Foucault enriched the theory of "gaze" and made us aware of the many problems that gaze brings to women.This also gives feminism a powerful theoretical weapon to expose the oppression of women in art history.When women were combined with art,postmodern and photography,it created a powerful force that inspired countless women to fight for their rights.From this moment on,female photographers have been working from multiple perspectives of self-awareness,physical expression,and power mechanisms.Their works show us the life experiences of women at different times and the femininity they have been shaped into.They make us realize once again that women have been subconsciously disciplined by the legacy of history,which also arouses women’s long-dormant self-awareness.They are concerned about themselves as well as society,and in different ways they show us the many ways to counter the gaze,and the possibility of removing the power relations from the gaze.Regarding the gaze,whether it is male-dominated or female-dominated,power relations are implied in it.What needs to be established now is a mutually agreeable gaze that dismantles power relations.While creating anti-gaze,women need to elevate themselves to a larger space and care for society with a unique female perspective.Thus,the female group is respected and recognized,and thus women’s self-worth is realized,and the gaze becomes more equal.