Human Gaze Of Animals

Gaze refers to a steady intent look, perhaps even without the blink of eyes. As one of the many forms of viewing, gaze implicates the meaning of long lasting and devotion. Since the emergence of mankind, human being’s gaze towards animal had long been a significant component over the course of the evolution of human civilization. Animal acts as an agency between men and the emergence of the mankind. Gazing at animals play an important role for men to perceive themselves. In the realm of art, the relationship of art and appreciation between men and animal forms an essential category of the spiritual civilization of the humankind. Through visual analysis on works of art with the subject of men gazing at animal, it assists us to re-examine the relationship between men and animal as well as various types of issues engendered during the development of the human society. This thesis aims to clarify that there are different sorts of issues such as power, dominance, desire, metaphor and symbolization hiding behind men’s gaze towards animal. In corporation with the actual experiences of the creation of paintings, this thesis also examines a series of experimental artworks painted by the author of this thesis, to which, the goal of such experiment was to seek the state of balance between men and animal during the creation of artworks.