The Figurine: The Venus Of Willendorf

This paper will focus on the Statue of Dionysos leaning on a female figure. Also known as the Hope Dionysos. The statue is displayed at the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art and is located on the first floor Roman and Greek art chamber. Upon entering this sector, you will notice a grand statue that catches your eyes and captivates you as it welcomes you in gracefully. The exhibition is set up in the back center of the room, and is noticeable due to the largeness in scale and the enigmatic yet calming disposition the statue portrays. My first impression of the sculpture was how detailed and realistic the statue is. Since the statue was so defined you would be able to identify what he was wearing and how his body was shaped to how long his hair was during this time period. I was profoundly intrigued by how peaceful the statue of Dionysos embodied and found myself coming back to it and looking in awe. In curiosity, I would choose this statue for my assignment because I wanted to learn more about the history of the Hope Dionysos. In this essay I will be describing my formal analysis of the artwork, the subject matter behind it, the artist and the historical content of the statue of Dionysos.

The Woman of Willendorf figure, which was revealed in Austria and it is so small that it measures about 4.5 inches in height (Haarmann 62). This piece is between 25,000 and 30,000 years old which makes it amongst one of the initial pieces of art revealed and an image of fertility. The work was imprinted from limestone with indication that some method of paint pigment was then added

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.

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.

The article also acknowledges how the sculpture is a unique find in art especially in terms of how well the sculpture has been preserved and how the damage to the sculpture were minimal as compared to other similar discovered Venus sculptures. Arenas acknowledges how there are also numerous interpretations and explanations on how the arms of the Venus de Milo actually look like or what they are actually doing. The article also presents sultrier take on Venus de Milo, seeing her in all her seductive glory. Through the eyes of Arenas, there is more human, yet otherworldly perspective of Venus de Milo, one which matches romanticized women in mythology. Arenas also envisions the sculpture in relation to feminine charm and how it and the sculpture represents a severed phallus come to life. This represents social and carnal anxiety as well as longing, potency and also impotence.

The Venus of Willendorf was found in 1908 by a workman named “Johann Veran” (Selen). It was found by archeologists at a Paleolithic site. Here at the Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria, we have the only authentic Venus Figurine (Naturhistorisches Museum Wien). The artifact’s purpose is still being speculated by many. But from what I can infer, the figurine was used a a maternal figure, and it shows the richness of female fertility.

The Mazarin Venus at the Getty has been restored extensively. Scholars believe the head actually belonged to another ancient statue. Nevertheless, it is still a beautiful piece that demonstrates how the ancients viewed their gods. Venus has a beautifully proportioned and shapely figure. She has a lovely face, also classically proportioned, that is framed by curls. Her hair cascades down her back and falls over one shoulder. She gazes off to the side. She is graceful and elegant, showing herself with neither boldness nor undue modesty. She represents the female ideal of her times. Her beauty mirrors the beauty of love. The Greek sculptor who originally created the figure and the Roman sculptor who copied it did

Venus is a term that has long been associated with artwork, most specifically the classical forms of beautiful women. The term Venus has also come to represent female sculptures of the Paleolithic era. The most notable of these female sculptures is the Venus of Willendorf, 24,000-22,000 BCE. The age of the figurine has been changed several times. Originally when found the date was estimated to be 15,000 to 10,000 BCE. During the 1970's the time period was adjusted to 25,000 to 20,000 BCE; the date was again recalculated in the 1980's to 30,000 to 25,000 BCE;

When examining the statue, there is an old woman bent and weary. Her posture helps clue us in, with her age and the state of her health. The figure is dressed in cloth that drapes off her body as she carries a basket that is filled with what we may think are offerings. On her head, there are vines that create a band around the top of her head used to signify the festival that was going on during that time. The specific detail that is seen on this statue persuades us to want to know the story of this woman. Doing so, the process involves lots of research about the time and art. During the hellenistic period, artists begin to introduce more inner beauty than physical beauty. There is an opportunity to learn more about the structure itself, then settle for what is given and seen.

The sculptures and paint show details how society viewed and interpreted women body, sexuality, and maternity. In addition, revealed that these women were protected from threats around them with ornaments. Civilizations since early times, believed that we were in permanent threat from forces we do not see or cannot explain and because of it, we protected ourselves with artificial elements in a form of jewelry, crowns or caps. This idea has been continue from one generation to the next to the point that in modern societies some of us still use this type of protection in our bodies (e.g., small cross, divine images, tattoos, etc.).These pieces of art also indicate that humans believed in gods with superpowers and they are looking over us constantly. Humanity also believes in dark forces or demons trying to makes us do things that would upset the good gods. Some of the differences between these sculptures and paint are the material in which each one of them were created. The first figure, the Woman of Willendorf was carved in limestone, the second piece, the portrait of Queen Tiye was carved in wood and the last piece, the Virgin and Child Icon was created of tempera on a wood. You can also notice how the details on their faces and bodies changes throughout the time and years. The woman of Willendorf figurine offers details of a voluptuous nude women’s body but there is not face, or feet. Queen Tiye statue shows the face of a woman in detail closed to the gods but without any body parts and lastly The Virgin and Child Icon, is an expression of divinity of the views, reflections and beliefs from the gospel. Because communities started to innovate on the art of carving and painting, populations began to discover and/or create art with the objective of expressing different purposes of our daily lives, such as the beauty of a woman’s body, or to commemorate an ancient

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.

Upon reviewing several pieces, I have come across two orphaned sculptures of interest: the Venus of Willendorf and the Apollo Belvedere. The Venus of Willendorf is a small Paleolithic female figurine that was discovered in 1908 in the village of Willendorf in Austria. The Apollo Belvedere, on the other hand, is a Roman marble copy of a Greek original that embodies the image of Apollo: the god of healing, archery, music, and youth. If we were to categorize these two sculptures as “Anthropomorphic Gods and Goddesses”, the Venus of Willendorf would not fit the category. Unlike the Roman sculpture, the Venus of Willendorf does not have enough contextual history to link its image to a god.

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 in Botticelli's painting is a Renaissance beauty. During the Renaissance women were believed to look more attractive if they had some weight to them. It

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.