Hey there!
This week I will be discussing an article written by Christopher Witcombe titled "Venus of Wallendorf". The article talks of a statue found in Austria that dates back to the prehistoric age (24,000- 22,000 BC) of a woman whose body is not what people today consider beautiful. It's amazing how many conclusions one can come to about a figurine that is only a little more than four inches tall. Witcombe describes the way that Venus of Wallendorf got her name; from the classical God, Venus, who always appeared in art nude, with a more curvy body, but most of all beautiful because after all she was the God of Beauty. MacCurdy so named the woman because of her nakedness and curves, just like Venus except for her weight and for this reason MacCurdy was mocking the statue. Classical Venus is shown in her paintings as modest with hair covering her private areas. The woman figure has a pudgy stomach, large breasts, and plump legs, these descriptions classify her today as fat and ugly. But what really is beauty? Today one might answer: "A stick-skinny, tall, and well groomed woman". However if Classical Venus for the Greeks and other cultures who she was worshiped by was seen beautiful in her curvy naked form, then who is to say that in the prehistoric ages it was beautiful to be obese? It was true in the medieval days that a person who was larger round the middle was seen as wealthy because they were able to feed on many foods. It could be the same situation here, this woman was seen as beautiful and wealthy because of her size. Even though the characteristics of the woman don't fit the stereotypical Venus, there is no evidence to say that this was not, in those days, beautiful. Then it is safe to say that this woman could be the Venus of her day.
The next question to ponder is what exactly was her purpose as a little statue? If you consider all the details and size, as Witcombe points out, the woman fits perfectly in the palm of a person's hand, not able to stand up on her own she fits just right in a hand. This leads to a possibility that she was a God herself or deity that was worshiped among prehistoric peoples. There are many reasons as to where or why this statue came about and all are important to know, but sometimes hard to figure out. Why is always a tough question to answer and it something that can better be defined with the more evidence one gets from this period of time. It is important to study these statues and little objects because every piece of the puzzle helps to put the whole story together and although we will never get close to finding out the truth, the more prehistoric discoveries, the closer one can get the truth. Like mentioned earlier, it is amazing how many different things one can come up with all because of this little statue. It is an interesting piece of art that looks dull, but has many characteristics when one takes the time to sit down notice the small details of the Venus Of Wallendorf. Hope you found this interesting and informational!
Until next week! -Karlie
Hi Karlie! You've brought up some interesting points! I wanted to point out one more thing about the "modest Venus" (or "Venus pudica") convention. In ancient Greek art, Venus is sometimes depicted with her hands raised to cover her genitalia or breasts (because she's trying to be modest). The prehistoric figurines were named "Venus" to be a tongue-in-cheek comment at the way that these figurines do not try to be modest. In a way, therefore, the "Venus" name for these figurines is supposed to draw attention to the fact that prehistoric people are "uncivilized" and without any sense of modesty (in contrast to the more "advanced" Greeks).
ReplyDeleteTo see an example of a "modest Venus" who is covering herself, see Praxiteles' "Aphrodite of Knidos" on p. 144 of our ancient art textbook.
-Prof. Bowen
Hi Karli,
ReplyDeleteI agree with your comment that even though MacCurdy named the statue in a mocking manner because of her large physical form and nakedness, she could have been desired by men and women during the time the figurine was created. The statuette could have been desired for her physical form, her large breast and ample soft body. As you mentioned, she could have also been a symbol of wealth and privilege. I am assuming that food may have been sometimes hard to find and not always plentiful. The figurine portrays a woman who must have had easy access to food, or that it was provided for her. Thus, she symbolizes the desire of the body and the desire for wealth and power.
I look forward to your next post.
Sarah
P.S. Could you make your post background darker or more opaque, it is somewhat hard to read.
Hi Karlie,
ReplyDeleteI agree that in Medieval times roundness was seen as the ultimate sign of wealth and prosperity. However, I really do believe that where this statue was found needs to be taken in to account. As we have seen with other cultures such as the Eskimos, people who lived in colder climates could tend to be heavier to keep the body warm. I don't think that we can assume that since the woman portrayed with the Venus of Willendorf is large, that she necessarily lead a rich or sedentary lifestyle, or that this might have been unusual for the tribe she was a member of.
It is so great that we can all find these different things to talk about in just one piece of ancient art!
Thanks!
Im so mad! I just had a huge comment and it got deleted...now I have to remember everything I wrote..ugh..
ReplyDeleteAnyways, I think you brought up a great point in speaking about the size of the Venus. She is so tiny and cannot even stand up on her own, so what is her purpose? I think it's really interesting to think of her as maybe having been a god-like figure or deity. Clearly she is small enough to be carried around and therefore convenient for worship anywhere! Maybe that's why she has no face, because just like most religions the face of God is somewhat mysterious. Her large body type proves that she was not starving and is a sign of wealth, as well as not having feet, means she wasn't one who had to work or travel often. I am beginning to see many similarities between her and Buddha, who was also quite large and clearly not critiqued for his weight but rather known for having great wealth. I think it's very interesting to look at this statue and wonder what her purpose was, and I think that your suggestion of her perhaps having been a figure of worship is great! Really makes one think..
Hello!
ReplyDeleteI also noticed that the shape of the figurine and her name did not have anything in common, but rather seemed like the name was mocking the Classical goddess of beauty. Venus of Willendorf had no modesty whatsoever, and is incomplete, unlike the more modest looking Classical Venus that has a complete body.