By taking some earlier art classes in the past; I recognize the “Venus of Willendorf” sculpture. Reading through the article of the art piece gives me a more in depth picture of the time and cultures of the era in which it was made. Measuring at about 11 centimeters (4.3 inches) high, the “Venus of Willendorf” figurine was discovered around Willendorf, Austria. It is dated around 24,000 to 22,000 B.C.E. Its image and reputation is somewhat controversial due to its shape and representation of women. By using the term “Venus,” people are given a preconceived notion of what a female figure would look like.
The term “Venus” is defined as “a beautiful woman.” “Venus” is also linked to the Roman Goddess of Love; she also goes by the name Aphrodite. By giving the statuette the name “Venus of Willendorf” we are now associating this image with beauty and love. The way Venus is interpreted is nude and slightly covering her breasts and pubic region. The way the “Venus of Willendorf” is made is of a woman who is completely nude, with bulging breasts, large stomach and thighs, and a clearly visible pubic area. The image of Venus has been made to resemble a fairly attractive “curvy” woman. With the slight covering of breasts and privates, our culture and society dub this as art and beauty.
Without breaching the line of vulgarity and abrasiveness, the Birth of Venus and Capitoline Venus both show the subtle art of nude posing and sculpting. When compared to the “Venus of Willendorf,” many major differences stick out like sore thumbs. One being the obvious body shape of the woman; her obese figure is emphasized with a bulbous stomach, thick thighs, large buttocks, and hefty breasts. In our society, larger, more obese women are not considered physically beautiful; therefore when we see “Venus of Willendorf” we do not think she is a beautiful woman. Instead, the women we see, for example, in the Birth of Venus are what we would consider a beautiful woman.
I see this being problematic, especially for our society and culture, because it gives us a “one-way” viewing on what we consider beauty. With the way our society has grown into the idea that beautiful women must be thin, tall, long hair and big breasts; our young women see it fit to go to any measures (safe or extreme) to achieve this certain beauty. We get so fixed on our outer appearances that we begin to lose our own beauty from within. This beauty and sexual attractions are there to impress a male counterpart. Though the interesting thing about this “Venus of Willendorf” is the fact that the sculpture was made by a woman. This shows that this culture was probably matriarchal and do not see the need to label beauty to this sculpture.
The other controversial piece of the sculpture is the obvious genital view of the labia. This is somewhat vulgar to our society as it is not a common thing to see in art and/or visual means. The big topic of seeing this part of the woman anatomy is that “Venus of Willendorf” is a fertility idol made for that society.
I enjoyed beginning with this piece of art for our class because of it controversial meanings and images. I believe by talking about this piece without knowing much about it really makes us dive into the time era and culture that it was created in.
