Venus of Willendorf

Venus of Willendorf
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Venus of Willendorf
Art can be used to represent various issues in the society, and authors or artists tend to use the images to provide meaning or generate interest in particular topics. The image can also act as symbols for larger issues that the author intends to discuss. Venus of Willendorf is one of the pictures that have existed for many years to develop understanding of the early life of the people who lived in an ice age. The art involves the prehistoric humans and their way of life. According to research, the art was carved more than 20,000 years ago and was most likely made by the hunters and gatherers.
The Venus of Willendorf image involved a statue of a woman with different features such as fatness and fertility suggesting that the people of the era would have been highly desirable. The image was designed by people who lived in harsh ice-age conditions that shaped their way of living. The image shows oversized breasts representing matters to do with successful reproduction. The image has a female figure representing their way of life in the local area where the image was believed to have been carved. The image that was carved in the Paleolithic period has cultural significance as well as a representation of the female characters that survived during the period (Liu, 2011). The image has no feet and does not stand to indicate that the women depended on others for their survival. Also, the presence of breasts is related to the high levels of fertility that the people of the era was experienced.

Venus of Willendorf image is used as a representation of fertility during the Paleolithic period among the female figures who existed at the time (Skye, 2010).
On the other hand, the image does not have a visible face and the head tends to be covered with circular bands that can be associated with plaited hair. The representation reveals how the women in the era had a sense of style by designing their hair styles in a particular manner. Also, the features in the head and body reveal that the image is an ordinary woman rather than a goddess as believed. The image removes the assumption that the primitive nature of the women in the era (Nudd, 2003). However, the design of the figure with no legs and hanging suggests that despite the development of the female gender, they still depended on men in life. Lack of facial features also depicts them as creatures that were led by others increasing the speculation on the female representation. The area of art through images develops interests since it involves a representation of larger issues and assist in understanding the way of life of a particular society (Ruether, 2006).
The image provides the actual description of the Stone Age woman who had little understanding of the need to cover the body. The image fits in the historical construction of art that emphasize a derogatory depiction of women in art. The image also shows the reality of the female body by emphasizing on swollen shapes such as breasts. It also shows the increased fertility and suggest the uniqueness and extraordinary nature of women (LaRocca, 2012). The image also shows exaggerated female forms indicating a great age and thus an icon of prehistoric art as well as representing the woman from which all women descend.
Venus of Willendorf Image

References
LaRocca, L. (2012, May 17). Walk through the colorful world of art history. McClatchy – Tribune Business News Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://search.proquest.com/docview/1013975734?accountid=45049” http://search.proquest.com/docview/1013975734?accountid=45049
Liu, A. (2011). Restoring our bodies, reclaiming our lives: Guidance and reflections on recovery from eating disorders. Boston: Trumpeter.
Nudd, T. (2003, May 26). Older, infertile and proud of it. Adweek, 44, 38. Retrieved from HYPERLINK “http://search.proquest.com/docview/212426875?accountid=45049” http://search.proquest.com/docview/212426875?accountid=45049
Ruether, R. R. (2006). Goddesses and the divine feminine: A Western religious history. Berkeley [u.a.: Univ. of Calif. Press.
Skye, M. (2010). Goddess aloud!: Transforming your world through rituals & mantras. Woodbury, Minn: Llewellyn Publications.
Image link HYPERLINK “http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/episodes/human/venus/” http://www.pbs.org/howartmadetheworld/episodes/human/venus/

VENUS OF WILLENDORF PAGE * MERGEFORMAT 2

Running Head: VENUS OF WILLENDORF PAGE * MERGEFORMAT 1