ESSAY #1c
COMPARE & CONTRAST – Mother Earth, Fertility, Love and More?
INSTRUCTIONS: Find and post the images of the artwork(s) mentioned in the Topic Essay Question.
QUESTION: Describe the functional purpose of the Venus of Willendorf and the Venus De Milo. How is their imagery similar? How is it different? Find a third Venus example to compare and contrast these two to and describe why you selected it.
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| Venus of Willendorf |
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| Venus de Milo |
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| the Mazarin Venus |
PART ONE
SUMMARY: I gained a better understanding of the thought and reasoning that went behind creating the different Venus statues.
REASON: The question was asked to create the thought process between the ages and to look at the difference and similarities.
PURPOSE: I think we need to have a better understanding of how things can change and how they stay the same. The figures might have evolved; however their meaning might still have similarities.
SUMMARY: I gained a better understanding of the thought and reasoning that went behind creating the different Venus statues.
REASON: The question was asked to create the thought process between the ages and to look at the difference and similarities.
PURPOSE: I think we need to have a better understanding of how things can change and how they stay the same. The figures might have evolved; however their meaning might still have similarities.
DIRECTION: I tried to look at the art with new eyes. I wanted to
see if there was something that I had missed as I had looked at the
statues/figures in the past.
IMPRESSIONS: No matter what, there is always more you can learn. I
thought this would be a very difficult essay to write. We had discussed
the different statues and although they look different they in essence are the
same.
PART TWO
ANSWER:
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Aphrodite (Venus), goddess of love, Daughter
of Zeus and the water nymph Dione; alternatively, born of sea foam; wife of
Hephaistos. (Art History, Marilyn Stokstad/Michael W.
Cothren, Fourth Edition/volumn 1, 2011 Pearson Education, Inc., page 104)
The Venus of Willendorf most likely
stands for fertility. The swollen breast and the large belly with the
wide hips could represent the female population of that culture were
fertile. The little statue might have been traded to other tribes to
represent they were willing to come together to repopulate. (Art History text, pages 6,7)
The statue is from around 24,000 BCE. She is small in size
standing 4 3/8" and she is made of limestone. (Art
History text, page 6)
The Venus de Milo is
very statuesque. She may be missing her arms; however you can sense the
higher presence. The
Venus de Milo was "found on the island of Melos by French excavators in
the early nineteenth century. (Art History text, page 156) She is styled in the fashion of the past
artist. "The dreamy gaze recalls Praziteles' work, and the figure
has heavier proportions of High Classical sculpture, but the twisting stance
and the strong projection of the knee are typical of Hellenistic art, as is the
rich three-dimensionality of the drapery. The juxtaposition of soft flesh
and crisp drapery, seemingly in the process of slipping off the figure adds a
note of erotic tension." (Art History text, page 156) Venus de Milo also known
as Aphrodite of Melos is housed in the Louvre in Paris. She is from c.
150-100 BCE, she is marble, and stands 6' 8" tall. (Art History text, page
157) She
is also pictured in the textbook on this page.
The imagery of the two both shows
the female form. They both have an emphasis on the breast, although the
Venus de Milo might have a bit more finesse to the shape, with no emphasis
on modesty. They are representations of fertility. In both statues
the hips appear to be able to bear children, and that would be another
important factor in fertility.
For my third Venus, I found the
Mazarin Venus. Her form is very similar to the Venus de Milo. Her
stance is different. I can see the shape and the statuesque shape to her
to be very similar.
"Venus, the goddess of love,
stands nude, grasping a piece of cloth around her hips. The dolphin at her feet
supports the figure and alludes to the goddess's birth from the sea. This
depiction of Venus ultimately derived from an extremely popular Greek statue
created by the sculptor Praxiteles about 350 B.C. Indeed Praxiteles' statue was
so popular that, beginning around 100 B.C., many artists created variations on
his theme of the naked Venus.
This statue is a Roman reproduction of one of those Hellenistic variants. In 1509 it was discovered in Rome, where it contributed to the Renaissance revival of the Classical tradition. Scholars once believed that this statue was owned by Cardinal Mazarin, advisor to Louis XIV, king of France. Although this is unlikely, the statue is still known to many as the Mazarin Venus.
During its long history, the statue has been heavily damaged. The breasts, as well as parts of the cloth, arms, and dolphin, are restored. The head probably belonged to another ancient statue. Marks on the back of the statue have been interpreted as gunshot wounds suffered during the French Revolution, although this story may be based more in romance than in fact." (http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=7562)
This statue is a Roman reproduction of one of those Hellenistic variants. In 1509 it was discovered in Rome, where it contributed to the Renaissance revival of the Classical tradition. Scholars once believed that this statue was owned by Cardinal Mazarin, advisor to Louis XIV, king of France. Although this is unlikely, the statue is still known to many as the Mazarin Venus.
During its long history, the statue has been heavily damaged. The breasts, as well as parts of the cloth, arms, and dolphin, are restored. The head probably belonged to another ancient statue. Marks on the back of the statue have been interpreted as gunshot wounds suffered during the French Revolution, although this story may be based more in romance than in fact." (http://www.getty.edu/art/gettyguide/artObjectDetails?artobj=7562)
"Around 350 BCE,
Praxiteles created a daring statue of Aphrodite for the city of Knido in Asia
Minor. Although artists of the fifth century BCE had begun to hint boldly
at the naked female body beneath tissue thin drapery, as in Nike Adjusting
her Sandal, this Aphrodite was apparently the first statue by a well known
Greek sculptor to depict a fully nude woman, and it set a new standard.
Although nudity among athletic young men was admired in Greek society, nudity
among women was seen as a sign of low character. The eventual wide
acceptance of female nudes in large statuary may be related to the gradual
merging of the Greeks' concept of their goddess Aphrodite with some of the
characteristics of Phoenician goddess Astarte (the Babyloninan Ishatar), who
was always shown nude in Near Eastern Art." (Art History text, page
145)
Culture diverted away from nude
women. Finally, the sculptures of women in their natural form were
created and seemingly accepted. All three of the sculptures celebrate
women and their form. The historians have taught us they are shown in
this form as fertility. Between all three I see curves and shape and
definition. The draping of the fabric is very similar on the second two
Venus figures. They are more refined as art had come a long way since the
first had been created. The Venus of Willendorf is basic; however it does
have its own definition of form.
I added a painting of the
birth of Venus. I thought it a fitting start to the essay. She and
the Venus de Milo do have the s curve to their stance. The dolphin is in
the painting the same as in the Mazarin Venus. This is reinforcing the
birth from the sea. She is standing on a shell, as if she is rising up
from the sea. There are angels circling above and there are a couple of
men blowing in conch shells in triumph of her birth.
