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.
This is a nice, thoughtful post. I think it's interesting that you brought up how this statue doesn't embody "femininity." I like to think that the word "feminine" is a cultural construct - it is an idea that has been built up by society that have specific connotations today of delicacy, softness, and gentility. This is different from the word "female," which in many instances can just refer to the sex of a person (which is determined by nature, not culture).
ReplyDeleteGiven our cultural definition for the word "feminine," I can see how you think that this figurine doesn't really fit the idea of "femininity." In my own opinion, though, I still think that the Venus of Willendorf can connote delicacy in its own way: it's so tiny and small!
-Prof. Bowen
The article states that this figurine was most likely meant to be held in the hand, due to its form and lack of feet. So to me I get the idea that this piece was created for women of the time to be held, possibly as a fertility item where the soft smooth touch of the figure and the curvaceous features of the body, a woman could feel the attributes of a “Healthy” womanly figure for the time, without even having to look at it in hopes of becoming pregnant and having a healthy baby. I think they first named her a Venus because she was a classical representation of an idealistic woman of her time. Later they realized this name was forcing viewers to compare her to other classical views of women like that of the statues and other art in Rome and Greece, forcing us to believe that this is a “failed Venus”. I agree with you that women in older societies that were over weight represent a higher status and therefore in her time this woman was beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI have been questioning something about this piece and that is the intent f the artist. I know it is a mystery and we may never know but when you say “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.” I don’t know if this was how women were supposed to look. I found it interesting in the article where the other author described how the women during this time needed to be fit and able to hunt and gather, so we can maybe assume that this figure was of a high status or something of the like. But really how do we know this statuette was carved to portray something beautiful? If the same statuette were carved now in present day would we view it the same? Or using our cultural context of raising obesity rates and poor health would we find something less attractive in this piece.
ReplyDeleteI find the Venus to be beautiful, her small size very intimate and her fallen gaze very easy to bond with, these are just same thoughts I have been entertaining.
I can understand why you would believe that women of the time were supposed to look like that, but instead maybe that this venus is the exception to the rule? especially since it would be very difficult to be that overweight in that time period without being an extraordinary person. in the sense that others would have to wait on her. so maybe instead of this statuette being what is expected of women to look like, maybe being a representation of the prominence of status displayed by the body. but i believe that you would agree that the skill that went into creating this image is extremely impressive. :)
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