Venus of Willendorf

I believe beauty lies in the eye of the beholder, however as time passes so does the desires of civilized humans. A contemporary issue that this article made me think about is the way society glorifies sexuality and the female body.  The media has played a huge role in the history of what we are suppose to believe is beautiful.  Over time we as a society have been brainwashed to believe that a tall, thin figure is prettier, sexier and more desirable than a short, curvaceous, fuller figure. 

Some might argue that what make a body beautiful are the functions that it provides.  The body type that the Venus of Willendorf figurine displays is that of a full figured and natural woman. This body type may have been desirable by primitive civilizations due to the absence of media and peer pressures which it produces. The purpose of the carving is the subject of much speculation. It never had feet and does not stand on its own. The large size of the breasts and abdomen, and the detail put into the vulva, lead some to interpret the figure as a fertility symbol. I think that it is fascinating that what we as humans find attractive, changes and evolves over time.

 Naming the figurine found in Willendorf, Austria “Venus” was used to describe a figurine that was armless and footless.  The Classical Venus, Capitoline Venus and, or the Medici Venus for example are tall, erotic, curvaceous, young women who are nude and recognized as sexual objects.  Therefore by naming the Willendorf “Venus” it was a mochary of what the name represented.  By naming the Willendorf figurine “Venus” one is forced to judge and compare this piece of sculpture to what we know of the Greek, Roman and Renaissance sculptures.  The Classical Venus portrays a female body that is of a goddess, feminine and toned.  The breasts are very small, the pubic area is undefined, the abdomen, and hips are not given any emphasis.  The expression of sexuality and physicality are exhibited in a tasteful, modest way.  Initially the Venus of Willendorf was nicknamed the “la poire” meaning “the pear” due to her shape.  The pubic area is very prominent as are the breasts, hips, and thighs.

There lies a conflict between female and feminine, as well as with sex and gender.  Western culture focuses on what the Classical Venus portrays.  This Venus is both biologically and sexually female.  In terms of gender she is feminine. While some believe sex is biological and a product of nature, gender is also thought to be a product of socialization and nurture.  Of course being a woman myself I think this belief comes from a male point of view.  Therefore in my opinion, according to what a male perceives as feminine in today’s world; the Venus of Wallendorf is not seen as feminine because of her physical size and shape. 

In some cultures this body type is predominately attractive, because it represents strength, power and fertility.  The fullness of her physical features, markings on her wrists and the deliberate emphasized genitalia suggest that this woman may have been a fertility Idol. When the figurine was discovered it had traces of red ochre, which may suggest that is to be interpreted as some kind of charm that has to do with menstruation and or fertility. 

Chances are that the average Stone Age woman did not look like Venus of Willendorf.  They were hunter-gathers which required them to be physically active on a daily basis.  Therefore I think this representation of a woman may have several different possible meanings. Either she was unable to partake in the daily activities due to some kind of handicap or disability.  Or she may have been someone who was catered to because of her hierarchical status.  Either way, she was of some kind of importance to be able to have the figure that she had, and to have had a figurine carved in her image.

 There have been several findings of this type of figurine ranging from France to Siberia. This fact most likely suggests that there were several women with this body type during the Paleolithic period.  Relying on the theory of importance, might mean that women may have played a different, much more important role during that time period.  In some tribes a Matriarchy existed, women were dominant and ruled the Paleolithic society.

I thought it was interesting that the Venus of Willendorf is faceless; therefore it, or she, is to be regarded as an anonymous sexual object, rather than a person.  The physical body and what it represents is what is important.  There are seven rows of concentric, horizontal plaited bands that encircle the head, as well as two more half bands below that back of her neck.  These bands are intended to look like braids of hair.  The part that I found really interesting is that the number of circles is seven, which is significant because today the number seven is thought to a lucky number.

Mother Earth or Earth Goddess is another concept that derived from the Greeks. During the end of the 19^th century and during the beginning of the 20^th century.  Archaeologists thought that the Paleolithic “Venus” figurines may be representations of the Mother Goddess. 

I am not really sure what the Venus of Willendorf represents, however I find it amazing that it is still in tact and that there are so many different possible meanings behind it.