Venus figurines are found across the globe, in varying cultures, and throughout various time periods. These figurines have a great variety across the cultures they are present in including what materials they are made out of, their relative size, and the intricacy involved in the creation of the figurine. Despite these differences there are some major similarities: all Venus figurines are unclothed depictions of women with exaggerated features. There are many theories as to the meaning and reason behind the Venus figurines and whether they had a singular meaning and reason behind them or if these figurines had various purposes across the cultures. The figurines depict stereotypically female figures, often with exaggerated features like large breasts and wide buttocks and hips or a distinguishable vulva. These figures are often very small ranging from two to six inches tall and are believed to be this size for easy transportation. They are mostly found within homes or places of living, and rarely they are found hidden in caves. The first time a figurine of this type was called a Venus figurine it was in reference to a statuette from France called the “Venus Impudique” or the shameless Venus, despite the fact that this status is believed to be of …show more content…
A famous example of this is Sarah Baartman who was called the Hottentot Venus, a moniker that is a throwback to these Venus figurines. Many have interpreted the Venus of Willendorf, among other Venus figures, as being women with steatopygia and this may have been accurate but it seems ridiculous to assume that this could explain every one of these figurines. Venus figurines occur across a large geographic area, many of which include people who would never have seen an African women, let alone one who suffered from
The marble Statuette of Youthful Dionysos stands about 30 inches tall. The arms, legs, nose, and
For starters the title, “Barbie Doll” holds a meaning. It symbolizes the ideal figure of a female body. Society creates this ideal that is embed into every century. It is never ending. It is intended that she must have the twig like arms and legs, the minuscule waist and nose,
Paleolithic Venuses are prehistoric sculptures that are traditionally thought, by experts to be images that adore and glorify female fertility. There are three reasons why most historians who study the Paleolithic era support this traditional idea. One, most analysts only use a sampling of the 188 figurines and most of them are pregnant. Secondly, the name Venus itself conjures up the notion of fertility. Thirdly, most analysts assume that during the Paleolithic era that childbearing was something that was sacred and thus needing to be glorified with a statue. Rice offers an alternative point of view of the motivation for the creation of the Paleolithic Venuses. Rice's position on Paleolithic Venuses is that they do not solely represent women's fertility, but instead symbolize womanhood.
Everybody has something about them that makes them unique, but sometimes they tend to not realize how special they are because of it. In the play, The Glass Menagerie, Laura possesses a collection of glass figurines that symbolize how others see her despite her limp. She has allowed her limp to define who she is, as well as play a major part in the way that she acts around other people. Laura’s limp has restricted her life in certain ways and because of it, she has become a delicate, radiant, and unique individual.
The definition of sculpting is, according to the Oxford Dictionary of English, “to make or represent a form by carving, casting, or using other shaping techniques”. Though, one could easily argue that in ancient Greek culture, sculpting meant more than just the craft of carving, casting, or shaping. Sculpting was the expression of imagination, an illustration of passions and storytelling, and a means of communication. The early Greek sculptures that we view today are incredibly important to the study and interpretation of history. This is because we are able to analyze these sculptures and theorize why the Greeks sculpted a certain way during certain eras. The different styles of Greek sculpting can be broken down into three separate periods:
The small figurine is roughly about 10.5 inches long and it could vary considerably in size and in the types of material used is directly related to the wealth of the deceased (Stevens).
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 was believed that this weight make them more prepared for child birth, and basically healthier. Venus has weight in the painting. Without this weight I do not feel that she would have such a strong impact on her viewers. Another strong point of Venus's presence is her wonderful long and flowing red-orange hair. It flows around her body keeping her pose modest, yet revealing. In all of this beauty it can be easy to overlook the unnatural length of Venus's neck, and the steep fall of her shoulders. Venus's outline is wonderfully graceful, and it is the grace that makes the print so wholesome and beautiful. If Botticelli would have chosen a slimmer or less natural Venus the harmony of the picture would have been destroyed.
Peter Paul Rubens’ masterpiece, Venus and Adonis, is not only a significant artwork of the baroque-period in Europe during the 17th century, but it also tells the mythological story that begins with love, and ends in tragedy. Displayed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, this painting is admired for representing the unique baroque-style of this era, as well as Rubens’ particular use of the medium and how it reaches those who are viewing it. His attention to detail and crafty use of symbolism within the painting assist viewers in deciphering the story, along with the values of the time period in which Rubens was living. In studying the composition of the work and noting the historical context from which it came, one can ultimately understand Rubens’ point-of-view and thus, connect to the painting in a way he or she has never imagined.
The Venus of Willendorf is one of the earliest sculptures of the body made by humans during the Paleolithic era. She was made from limestone native to her location and covered with red orche. Despite standing only 4.4 inches, the purpose of the Venus of Willendorf is widely debated. Some will say the exaggerated breasts, navel, and vulva connects her to fertility as a representation of a mother goddess. Others, such as those in my class, believe her to be a figure of body image. The stumpy female figure features hanging breasts, an obese middle and belly, and distinct buttocks in all, represents a realistic form of a severely overweight woman. Due to the hash ice-age environment of where she’s from leads one to believe fatness and fertility would have been highly desirable. Whether the sculpture was based on a fantasy or a real life model the infatuations with the idea of self-acceptance through body
The Woman from Willendorf, just as the name suggest was discovered in Willendorf, Austria in 1908 during an archeological excavation of the area. The small figurine is heavily regarded as one of the most important Paleolithic discoveries. Carved in the round from limestone the figure the figure is undeniably female with it’s exaggerated features. Some of the most recognizable features of the rounded figure include the large pendulous breast, the
The Venus of Willendorf was believed to be created 25,000 years ago, is none-freestanding sculpture and is sculpted out of oolitic limestone. The subject matter, I believe it to convey a fertility figure for men and woman to gaze upon. The Venus of Willendorf is a none-freestanding female nude stature, which is an 11 centimeters high, made out of oolitic limestone and now resides in Naturhistorisches Museum. She was found in 1908 in Austria in a village called Willendorf. The stature has been carved out of oolitic limestone and has been given a red ochre tint. This small oolitic limestone figure representing a woman in the nude has no known artist and no information on why it was created. I believe that
The Venus of Willendorf and the Venus de Milo are two ancient day venus sculptures representing two different views on beauty. The Venus of Willendorf is a small 4.5 inch limestone figure of a Goddess which is believed to be used as a fertility symbol, while the Venus de Milo is a tall ancient Greek statue of a Goddess which is said to represent love and beauty. The Venus of Willendorf’s body structure is very different than that of Venus de Milo. The venus of Willendorf appears to be a short lady with a large emphasis on her reproductive organs, breasts and stomach area whereas the Venus de Milo appears to be very tall with smaller breasts, and a really athletic build. She appears to have abs and looks as if she has not had children before, while the Venus of Willendorf looks like she has had children due to her huge breasts and stretched out belly button. The Venus
Botticelli depicts Venus standing a relaxing pose with long golden wavy hair that falls to her knees skin blemish free and pale as the seafoam she’s born from with one hand (right) gently placed over her right breast she uses the other (left) grasping for
During the Upper Paleolithic period, ranging from 10,000 to 50,000 years ago, it was a time of great advancement and achievement for Homo sapiens. The Upper Paleolithic showed evidence of new stone tools emerging such as the blade. With new technology to hunt, people must have had free time on their hands. It was during this time that this culture began to embrace art. Venus figurines are a type of artwork from the Upper Paleolithic period. It’s a small statue portraying women, although there have been figurines of men or uncertain sex. They are made from “a variety of materials, including stone, bone, ivory, and fired loess” (Nowell & Change 2014). The figurines are usually nude females. Some of their other features, such as breasts, hips,
In The Glass Menagerie by Tennessee Williams, the glass figurine of the unicorn plays an inherently important role as a representation of Laura's self esteem. The collection of glass figurines is used by Laura to escape from the dangers of the outside world. The unicorn is the central piece to her collection and is important because it directly symbolizes Laura. The unicorn represents Laura's obsession with her handicap and also represents the uniqueness in her character. As the play develops, the fracture of the unicorn's horn represents a change in Laura's perspective of self and also gives a reason to why she parts with the figurine in the end.