In some cultures, people believe that art, magic and rituals will promote fertility. Some believe that an object, such as a statue, could contain the power of fertility. One example would be the Venus of Willendorf. Venus was a name given to female figurines and was thought to be a goddess. This figure is small enough to fit in the palm of your hand and looks like an obese woman. The roundness of her body could suggest that she has had multiple children, being very fertile. Another example is The Figure of a Deity. This is a male statue that has his many children clinging to his entire body. This is to say he is a very fertile male. There are many rituals that relate to sex and fertility and having lots of children and a large family
Agatha Christie once said, “Every murderer is probably somebody’s good friend.” Unfortunately for Max, his good friend was his murderer. Ray was invited to a housewarming party because he was considered to be one of his good friends. It is very clear that after studying the case, Ray Leetuff is Max’s murderer because of his motives, testimonies, and the physical evidence found that binds him to the crime.
Venus of Urbino demonstrates a beautiful, young woman, Venus, lying nude on what appears to be a reclined couch or bed. However, the woman illustrated means much more than merely a nude woman. There have been many interpretations of this beautiful woman over the years but many art historians agree that the Venus of Urbino has to do unambiguously with the male sexual desire for the female nude body.
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.
Ever since the beginning of the Stone Age around 25,000 B.C. and throughout the late classical period in 400 B.C., we can infer and see that both men and women have been portrayed in many ways when viewing particular cultures around the time period. The representation of the female body can be seen through numerous pieces of Art. Ladies and Gentleman the figurine in front of you is called “The Venus of Willendorf”, and it is the oldest female figurine statuette. It most likely symbolizes female fertility. Now some of you may be wondering why this figurine is half naked. The reason for this again ties back to the cultures of Mesopotamia. Multiple Mespopotamian related cultures seem to have made this
An overweight female might have conceived more easily tens of thousands of years ago than an undernourished female. Therefore, being fat would be more desirable if trying to reproduce. Another factor that supports Witcombe's belief the sculpture was used for fertility purposes is the attention paid to the pubic area. The genital area is deliberately exposed and when the figurine was discovered, it still had a small trace of a red pigment visible. This detail brings Witcombe to suggest that the figurine's fertility role may have also served in a gynecological fashion as a good luck talisman to aid in conception or childbirth. If this assumption is true, then Witcombe believes that the image was carved by a female, since males would have less concern over such matters.
For my vacation, my family has chosen to go to Venus. This our first year traveling outside of earth so we chose a planet close. Venus is covered with a thick layer of sulfuric acid which will be a blast to land into but on the inside Venus is solid. Venus shines super bright and has orangish yellow tint. The overall look of Venus is dreary and the gas covers the area with a goldish hue and everything looks like gunmetal. Venus is VERY hot, it temperature reaches to about 870 degrees Fahrenheit! On top of the scorching heat the Atmospheric pressure is bone crushing and highly dense.Venus is about 0.72 light years away from the Sun and blank light years from Earth. Venus is very much like earth and not very much like earth. Venus is about the same size as earth
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.
Venus of Urbino illustrates a young woman, Venus, lying nude on what appears to be a reclined couch or bed. However, the woman depicted means much more than merely a nude woman. There have been many interpretations of this beautiful woman over the years but many art historians agree that the Venus of Urbino has to do unambiguously with the male sexual desire for the female nude body.
but more so her fertility. Not only do the hydra and drapery help the statue to stand, function
For example, during one of our earliest cultures, the Paleolithic period, the Women of Willendorf sculpture portrays a grossly heavy female figure representing fertility and beauty of being
In the Athena Parthenos created by Phidias and housed in the Parthenon of Athens, the female subject primarily exhibits the power of a goddess and various idiosyncrasies of the Ancient Greek culture. The picture that emerges is a standing, fully armed, and elaborately dresses Athena, holding a small statue of Nike in her outstretched right hand and cradling her spear with he left. The Statue of Athena is very representative of fertility not because of any particular content but because of the subject. In Greek mythology, Athena was supposedly born from the mind of Zeus. She represents a symbol of life and birth without any particular styles of the art that agree. Undeniably, she is also a goddess. She is capable of great power and her size commands respect. Her armor and weapons, phallic symbols, show that even as a female she can be revered as a goddess of power. Greek culture reveres its gods and goddesses and her power is derived from the status that she has gained from her wisdom and birthright. The fact that she, and all other female figures of Greece were clothed, while men were often nude, shows that women did not have as high a social status as men did. Nudes were
Florence, Italy. He left Florence in 1480 to help decorate the Sistine Chapel in Rome with some of his art which only the most famous painters of that time were invited to do. In 1482, Botticelli returned to Florence and shortly
The authors’ interpretation of archaeological evidence is more easily compared since both reference female pillar figurines. Meyers highlights that these replicas are overwhelmingly found in domestic settings, abundant, and are only of pregnant women or those in lactation. Given this evidence, Meyers argues that these figurines were used as a vessel to bring a mother blessings during her pregnancy, birth, and lactation (Meyers 2002, 286-287). Sommer evaluates the terracottas from a different angle, using their existence as a way to challenge his idea that monotheism was prevalent in Ancient Israelite society. Like Meyers, Sommer believes that the figurines serve as a “tangible prayer” for soon-to-be or new mothers used overwhelmingly in homes. He goes on to refute that they were representations of goddesses by quoting Meyers’ evidence which claimed that goddess
Sculpture: Very few of their sculptures are around today, but the most famous is the Woman of Willendorf, which is thought to have a connection to fertility.
The Birth of Venus is a beautiful Renaissance canvas masterpiece created by Sandro Botticello. The picture illustrates the birth of Venus in a very mystical way. Venus has emerged from sea on a shell which is being driven to shore by flying wind-gods. She is surrounded by beautiful roses which are painted in a truly remarkable color. As she is about to step to land, one of the Hours hands her a purple cloak. The back drop includes the sea and a forest. The overall effect of this painting are almost overwhelming, color and beauty meet the eye in every angle.