The Venus of Willendorf Formal Analysis Essay

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 main focus of the painting intended by Titian is a nude woman, Venus, looking straightforwardly at the audience. The young woman’s nipples are erect; with her left hand covers her pubic area, the sexuality of this painting is unquestionable. She is completely naked except for the ring on her little finger and the bracelet around her wrist. It is clear that the intention of this painting is to evoke sensual feelings in its audience.

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

To start off the comparison between the woman from Willendorf and Aphrodite of Melos, it’s important to give a brief overview of both. The Woman from Willendorf was a Human free-standing figurine from the upper paleolithic period(pg 6), depicting a woman with an emphasis on her womanly traits, such as her breast and hips. She is thought to be a votive figure; which tribes would offer to another tribe as a sign of fertility and that the other tribe wanted to mingle with their tribe. The Aphrodite of Melos was found on the Island of Milos and is from the Hellenistic period in history.(pg157) It depicts a sensualized depiction of the Greek goddess, Aphrodite’s. The Greeks were cannier on finding the ideal versions of beauty and that can really

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 adonis was painted by Tiziano Vecellio and dates back to A.D 1400-1600. He was one of the greatest italian renaissance painter and he was recognized as a great painter early in his life. He was a master of the oil medium and a supreme colorist. Many of his paintings represent either religion, antiquity and/or beauty. In his painting of Venus and Adonis it was inspired by a tale called Ovid’s Metamorphoses and therefore was called poetry in paint, also known as poesie (The MET). The painting portrays the goddess Venus has fallen in love with Adonis. The goddess Venus is trying to hold back Adonis because she does not want him leaving, since he is a hunter. While the goddess Venus is trying to hold Adonis back, his dogs are

I was drawn to this time period as well as these two sculptures. As I researched both sculptures I was fascinated by how much respect the people of that time had for their women. Not only for what they could do for them, but also for what they looked like. They didn’t see the weight and size as a grotesque thing; but more as a thing of beauty. In

Form: In this painting The Birth of Venus, her body looks almost uncertain. Her face one direction, the body another, its all very curvy and portays different movements, her neck looks elongated as well as her torso, legs, and arms. This elevates a mature and more feminine appeal to her body. Her pose looks as if she is floating or moving along with the curves of the shell. Moreover, her positioning is like the curvy dents of the scallop shell.

Venus of the Rags is a larger than life sized classical statue of the Roman goddess of love with a large pile of colored clothes that are simply piled up on each other on the floor. The viewer can see the back of the Venus statue. The statue’s face and body somehow touch the pile of clothes that accumulate in front of it, hence the front of the statue is not shown, but only the back. This statue is not an original statue from Rome but Pistoleto has purchased this cement Venus from a garden center. He has made several versions of this artwork throughout his life. He had done his first in 1967. He later made three further versions in the same year using plaster casts of this original Venus statue and they are housed in the De Bennardi Collection, Naples, a private collection in Germany, and the Giuliana and Tommaso Setari Collection, Milan. He later made two other versions year 1970 using a larger plaster Venus and then the other one covered with gold

Overseas in Austria, you can find the sculpture of The Venus of Willendorf, which is dated back to about 24,000-22,000 BC, being inclusive of the Paleolithic age (the Old Stone Age). She was carved from limestone and is only eleven centimeters in height, small enough to be held in palm of the hand. The Venus of Willendorf is one of the oldest and most popular of all the similar fertility figures known in prehistoric art history.

The Venus of Willendorf is said to be the first masterpiece of world sculptures. It belongs to a series of Venus figurines of the Paleolithic period or “Old Stone Age.” This period was characterized by crude stone and bone weapons, cave paintings, and sculptures. The Venus was found in a small village of Austria called Willendorf, hence the name of the Venus. This groundbreaking discovery was made in 1908 by the archaeologist Josef Szombathy. However, it was not until 1990 when we were able to predict the time when the sculpture was carved. It is believed to have been made between 25,000 B.C.E and 20,000 B.C.E. The sculpture is only 4,4 inches tall and it is made of oolitic limestone, which is a carbonate rock commonly found in India, around the Caribbean and Pacific Ocean Islands, but not Austria. Therefore, archeologists believe that this sculpture was moved from its original place of creation. Continuing with that idea, because of the fact that the sculpture does not have defined feet so it is not able to stand and that it is small and malleable, historians believe that it was originally made to be carried around as a talisman or a sign of good luck, especially for fertility purposes. It is important to notice how the structure of this sculpture highlights some human features (breasts, belly, hips, vulva) while minimizing others, such as arms and legs. The Venus represents the first aesthetic ideas of our early history, which has