Cosmology: The Venus Of Laussel

The Venus of Willendorf can be a considered a landmark of the Paleolithic Era for various reasons. For one, it is not native to its land. It is unknown as to where it was originally created. Whenever it was found in 1908 researchers discovered that the statue was made of a type of limestone that was not native to that area, which led them to conclude that it had been brought to that particular area. Secondly, some experts believe that the statue gives a clear indication of what the people of that time worshiped. Some researches found that many people during the time worshiped the Venus of Willendorf as a fertility goddess.

There may be a crab in the illustration, which signifies the astrological sign of cancer, which is suitably ruled by the moon. There is water in the illustration that shows the tidal powers of the moon, and there may be a dog, wolf, or both seen there, depending on if the imagery of the goddess Diana is being used , or if the imagery associated with Hecate is being used instead. The Moon is commonly shown wearing more than one face, showing its changeability and its varying phases. There is something magical about the light that the moon casts here as it shows a light for the night and its dangers, but casts shadows that can cause confusion.

In 1908, a statue known as the Venus of Willendorf was found in a cave near what is now Vienna, Austria. Archaeologists believe that the figure comes from 24,000 and 22,000 B.C. Similar statues have been found in a large area of Europe. The Venus of Willendorf has become a symbol of prehistoric art. Paleolithic Wo/Man believed in a multitude of gods and honored the spirit of each thing. Today, this is called Animism. As Wo/Man matured and traveled across Europe, he took his

What are common motifs found in cave paintings such as those at Lascaux and Altamira? Summarize the current theories about their original meaning and purpose

Lascaux Cave and Stonehenge are both prehistoric pieces of artwork that reflect the values and beliefs of their respective time periods. They both have ties to astronomy, with the former depicting constellations in the form of animals and the latter being aligned to the Sun’s solstitial axis. But the main similarity between the two is the fact that they served a higher purpose than simply being art. They both had a function and meant something to the cultures that built them. They are both highly influential pieces of art that inspired many generations of people.

During the Upper Paleolithic era artists created a wide range of small sculptures. These sculptures were made from various materials, including ivory, bone, clay, and even stone. They represented humans, as well as animals; they even combined them at times. Most of the sculptures from this time show a high level of skill. From this time, there were two very influential sculptures, The Venus of Willendorf and the Venus of Laussel. This paper will discuss both sculptures, in detail, as well as, compare and contrast them.

The Chauvet Cave, which is located in the southern part of modern day France, is full of Palaeolithic (Paleolithic) paintings created about thirty to thirty-three thousand years ago. The last Ice Age period was estimated to be around one-hundred-and-ten to twelve-thousand years ago, and places this within it. However, it was only discovered about twenty-two years ago in 1994 by a group of “cavers” led by the man himself, Jean-Marie Chauvet. Today, the cave is compelling to many observers as it is described to be loaded with “skillfully executed” charcoal and carved creations including animals such as horses/stallions, deer-like figures, lions, hyenas, owls, panthers, and rhinos.

The Venus of Willendorf is a sculpture that was sculpted out of limestone and stands to be 4 ½’’ tall. The figurine was most likely carved out of limestone because early pre-historic artists generally had to create art out of whatever materials they had available. The figurine is only 4 ½” tall is because it was common for pre-historic artists to carve small, hand held, portable figurines. The sculpture was found on the banks of the Danube River, an area where pre-historic hunter-gatherers were thought to have lived and traded goods with other civilians. The use of this piece of artwork is to portray the importance of women and fertility in pre-historic times because these features are ones that ensured the survival and future of mankind.

Astrological calendars have been in existence since ancient times where time was measured according to the number of Moons that had passed in a certain period, or in consonance with the shadows that were cast by either the Sun or Moon. Solar years are calculated based on the sun’s motions, whereas lunar years are mutually based on the moons motions. A lunar year consists of approximately 354 days, whereas there are 365 days in solar year. By virtue of the eleven day disparity between a solar and lunar year, an additional month is added to the lunar calendar every three years, and as for the solar calendar, every fourth year, a leap day is added to the month of February. A lunar year is comprised of twelve lunar months, which corresponds to the time that elapses as the moon carries out each of its phases and proceeds to its position of origin. In contrast, a solar month is one twelfth of a solar year, given that a solar year is span of time that elapses as the Earth completes a single revolution around the sun.

The spherical form is decorated with engraved with stylistic depictions of animals in the legends originating from the tribes who where from the area she spent her formative years. Although “Eran” is made of metal, Dr. Thancoupie Gloria Fletcher has created many similar spheres out of ceramics. One such ceramic sphere is called “Moocheth, the Ibis Arough, the Emu Golpondon, the Ibis’s son”. These pieces make use of the beautiful, symmetrical, spherical form, which is an important symbol in Aboriginal culture, as it represents the Earth, fire, motherhood and unity. The spheres are decorated with engravings of animals. It also appears that she has applied some kind of glaze of oxide to the piece, and then washed it back, leaving darker lines in the engravings. Her artworks are powerful as they convey the narratives of her ancestors using stylistic designs and images, often depicting Australian

Double pieces that have lasted over thousands of ages to offer scholars with references to human existence during the Paleolithic period are the Woman of Willendorf figure and the Lion Man of Hohlenstein-Stadel. Each figure is condensed with amazing features, even though they are not thorough to the level of realism. The Woman of Willendorf is one of the best instances of the small ‘Venuses’ that have been uncovered meaning that her persistence was a part of a ethnic set of views about women and fertility. The Lion Man, is a more exclusive artifact that recounts to the complex figures that are recognized from other cultures within which the related mythologies that have been revealed. The Lion Man has no known mythology that is obtainable in known written history to this day. The two pieces propose the unknown about the Paleolithic era, recognizing a sagacity of religion and rituals that were part of the lives of those who lived during that era and enlightening recent scholars on some aspects of the people during that time.

I think that the symbolical significance of the prehistoric cultural figures like the Venus of Willendorf deals mostly with the religious and social aspects of the human existence. Cultural critics and historians point out that during ancient time primitive societies were mostly matriarchic and a woman was considered a symbol of fertility. Childbirth from such point of view was considered as a holy act of life-giving. The fact that the woman is big and has massive gender features makes for the theory that women with large genitals can give birth to more children with less pain during the process of childbirth. Moreover, during the ancient times prosperity and health were implied by the physical characteristics. Big breasts of the Venus of WIllendorf serve as symbolical physical features of fertility (breast feeding) (Russell & Cohn, 2011).

This piece is called, Mars Venus and Vulcan: The Forge of Vulcan, it is an oil canvas done by John Singleton Copley, done in 1754. The era that this piece most represents is the Eighteenth- and early nineteenth-centuries of art in Europe and North America. This is because of the brief use of nudity and the use of children that are shown as little angels. The artist also used a sense of time and motion. It is as if the figures in the piece are moving themselves. The use of 3-D and kinetics allows this sense of movement in this piece. Also the artist used repetition and rhythm. The viewer’s eye is constantly moving because of this sense of repetition and rhythm

Modern figurines of art stem directly from the hands of the ancient’s. The organic forms of modernly sculpted artifacts can most likely be directly referenced to the movements of prehistoric artworks. There seems to be an ongoing transition on how cultures no matter how stretched apart through time, contrasted by ethnicity or religious views; can all be somewhat related to each other by the methods or principles portrayed through their artworks. In fact, I saw that very transition; within two works in which are extremely different in meaning, craftsmanship, time, culture and so on. However, I was still able to find similarities within the artifacts. In this paper I will examine Venus of Willendorf, a Paleolithic carving in limestone; which can fit in the palm of one’s hand. As well as, The Sacrifice of Chacmool, which are a plethora of Mesoamerican statues emulating rituals of sacrifice.

The paintings on the base and shoulder are broken up into registers which can trace back to Mesopotamian culture and Egyptian society as well. Both registers on the shoulder and body depict two dimensional figures along side with oriental flowers. In both registers, there is an animal depicted, which is a panther. The panther is one of the forms that Dionysus the god of wine, agriculture, and fertility of nature takes on.3 The panther on this Oinochoe leads us to believe it represents Dionysus because he is the god of wine, and this particular vessel was used for wine. Another figure on the vase is a winged figure, however that part of the vase has faded to the point where it cannot be analyzed or examined. What can be seen however are lions, which at the time in ancient Greece showed wealth and power and can often be found in many Greek myths. Lions during this time are depicted roaring with their mouths open and their body flexing and tall, poised to show power and authority. The registers may have the same animals and creatures on them; however the register on the body of the vase has more of the animals. The final animal that is depicted is a feral goat, the only way it can described and identified as feral, is because it is grazing where the lions and bird like