Venus of Willendorf

     Upon reading about Venus of Willendorf, a few things have quickly drawn my attention.  One of these things was the fact that Venus was portrayed as an overweight/obese figure but still held the symbol for how women were supposed to look.  Comparing this figurine to the common present day media, it is quite evident to understand why some people would be a little confused.  However, back in earlier history of such dynasties like China, it was said to be that people of obesity were actually the more powerful members of society, so this could have definitely been one of the possibilities.

     As far as beauty is concerned, the writer strongly believes that the beauty of the female figure is represented in this small idol.  Like mentioned before, today's definition of beauty significantly clashes with the ancient thought of these features.  Although big breasts are still highly emphasized in present day image, other attributes like over sized abdominal regions and large legs are not exactly what women or men classify today as beautiful.  This statuette was named Venus because it was said to be one of the first female icons to embrace and expose the natural beauty of the female figure.  However, this has been highly debated on what the message of the figurine really represents, but it still remains a dated piece of antiquity that will draw future questions to understand the meaning and representation of this piece.

     It is cloudy to me how this resembles the aesthetic image of femininity or females in general, but I can understand that the dating and uniqueness of this figure has made it so increasingly popular over the years.  Some of the things that I believe have made this piece of popular is the fact that it dates back to prehistoric eras, it is made of a material that is not native to its found location, and the idea that this is what was the image for women during this time period was.  The naming of "Venus" itself too brings forth some speculation on whether this image was more of a bash towards women or a praising towards them, since there was such opposing views of how the name Venus was portrayed in mythology.  Creating a mockery out of this figure could have definitely been a possibility, however, it is still unsure. 

     Overall, I think this piece was of a specific individual who held a high amount of power in society during their time.  As time changes, so does the image of how we perceive certain aspects of human life.  I believe Venus of Willendorf was an image and creation that all people of this time could recognize as pure, natural beauty.

Introduction-

Hi, my name is Kyle and I'm just starting my junior year in pursuing a Graphic Design degree.  I enjoy computer arts and photography (you can check out my flickr account @ www.flickr.com/kgdonteventrip).  This is my first online class here at CWU, so I hope it will be a good one.