Prehistoric Art
&
"Venus of Willendorf"
The term "Venus" refers to the many images of Venus through the ages, modest, sensual and sexual. The perfect woman, created to evoke erotic feelings in the male population. This however, would not explain why such a strangely overweight and immodest female representation of it would be entitled the same name. Unless of course it was done sarcastically, then of course that would make more sense.
We may not know much about the artist that created "Venus of Willendorf", or even who they were, male or female... But this little piece of stone, carved so masterfully between 21 and 24,000 B.C. still has quite a story to tell. Why talk about it? Well for one art speaks to us. That's what makes us human. We can identify and relate to it, or wonder for countless hours how it was made, what happened during its lifetime, why it was made, who made it, or even when it was made. But because it was made, we have reason to analyze it, and the artist behind it.
As a contemporary artist, this sculpture at first slightly shocked me. Not only because it was a blatantly female nude statue from prehistoric times; But because of the body type of the statue. It's so lifelike it demands attention to all the perfect details. However, looking at the possible time period it was created in, it just doesnt make sense that a woman could afford to be that overweight and still survive. The seemingly large form of this statue is so perfectly done, that if seen on her own in a photograph, for example, you would not be able to tell that she could fit in the palm of your hand. Like the article said (http://witcombe.sbc.edu/willendorf/ ) this must have meant that the woman this statue was made in likeness was important enough for other people to take care of her completely; and be created in likeness that's portable enough to go wherever the nomadic people needed to go. Which is evident in the type of rock, and where it was discovered. (Far away from where rock like that comes from) Also just as surprising, it seems as if it was originally supposed to look like it was on its menstrual cycle, so that would lead to assume that it was a female that created it. This piece of possible information inspires me.
All in all, aside from the obvious overweight nature of the woman, and the lack of a face, I see this image as beautiful. Not only because of the fine job that the artist did in rendering it so carefully; but because of its simple unashamed nature. The embodiment of a woman, that most people would find repulsive, is simple enough in its existence that seems to me as if she could exist in any era as a work of art. The only reason that most people wouldn't consider this piece to be beautiful in this time period is because it doesn't fit into the harsh standards and strict boundaries that most people associate with the perfect woman in this era. Not only is she not run-model thin, but she doesn't try to hide the fact that she is nude. Because I live in this generation, at first I was a bit put off at the statue, and had a slightly hard time finding it to be beautiful; but my conclusion stands, The "Venus of Willendorf" is in fact beautiful and worthy of the attention that she gets.
