Women, art and power: a narrative of counter-power?

Abstract My aim in this paper is to build on a fundamental essay by Linda Nochlin precisely titled “Women, Art and Power” (1988), where the author convincingly investigates this triad while, in her own words, she “disentangles various discourses about power related to gender difference existing simultaneously with - as much surface as substractum - the master discourse of the iconography or narrative”. I propose to extend Nochlin’s analysis somehow further and, without twisting her premises, to introduce a shift of focus in this debate, from the analysis of the representation of women by male artists, to the role of the woman artist in contemporary art scene, i.e., from women as objects of representation, to women as agents and subjects of the representation. This situation, which has indeed gained wider significance since the late 80s, I suggest (through the viewing of some examples), can be read within the context of the production of women’s narratives of empowerment or, alternatively, as creating challenging narratives of counter-power.

摘要：本文旨在以琳达·诺克琳（Linda Nochlin）1988年发表的经典论文《女性、艺术与权力》（Women, Art and Power）为研究基础展开探讨。该文精准剖析了女性、艺术与权力这一三元关系，正如作者自述，其厘清了诸多与性别差异相关的权力话语——这些话语既与图像学或叙事的主流话语并存，又兼具表层与基底的双重属性。本文拟在不悖于其立论前提的前提下，对诺克琳的分析做进一步拓展，并将这场讨论的研究重心从男性艺术家笔下的女性形象表征分析，转向女性艺术家在当代艺术场域中的角色，亦即从将女性视作表征的客体，转变为将女性作为表征的行动者与主体。笔者认为，自20世纪80年代末以来，这一转向的现实意义愈发凸显；通过对若干实例的检视，该现象既可置于女性赋能叙事的创作脉络中予以解读，亦可被视为构建了富有挑战性的反权力叙事。