The beautiful missing perspective: Venus figurines and female self-representation
photo from wikipedia
How do you see yourself? What do you look like? Can you represent yourself? The Venus figurines are small figures made from stone, ivory, bone or clay. They all portray round women with heavy breasts and full thighs and bellies. Most come from the Grattavian period, that's about 25,000 years ago. They are considered by most historians as some of the first prehistoric art.
These intricate, mystical figures have created a strong desire to know more. what purpose did they serve? Why are they so exaggerated when the average woman in the Paleolithic age would be trim and silm? Do they depict young women? Pregnant women? OLd women? Are they artistic renditions of female Gods? Are they talismans? Are they pornographic?
photo from wikipedia
These intricate, mystical figures have created a strong desire to know more. what purpose did they serve? Why are they so exaggerated when the average woman in the Paleolithic age would be trim and silm? Do they depict young women? Pregnant women? OLd women? Are they artistic renditions of female Gods? Are they talismans? Are they pornographic?
In their paper they propose the idea that these "unrealistic", "exaggerated" female forms were not created as pornography or deities but rather asself representation. These figurines were created by women who were modelling them after their own bodies. "A woman looking down at herself sees a strongly foreshortened view of the upper frontal surface of the thorax and abdomen, with her breasts looming large" (McCoid, 1990) Although there is not a consensus on this theory, the argument has some strong points. I like to believe it'strue.
photos by Discovermagazine.com
This means that these figures could be the result of Palaeolithic women wanting to capture their own bodiesin time. There were no mirrors, no photographs, the medium availiable wassculpture. Imagining these women using theirtoolsto recreate themselves, to look at themselves, to have more knowldge of themselvesisincredible to me. It makesthem seem so much closerto ourtime. It'sso easy to think of past humans assomething alien and almost completely unlike ourselves, but: picture a woman.
photo by Discovermagazine.com
She has some clay. She is looking down at her naked body and she sees something worthy, Something to preserve with time and effort. So she shapes into the clay what she can see. Maybe she is pregnant, so she can see her big, expectant belly. She uses more clay for this part. She can't see her feet so she leaves this part small. Her view of her buttocks is more difficult to see so she does it quickly, making it look flatter than it really is.
Can you pictiure this woman from so long ago? She is telling you a story from the past, you are her audience all the way in the future. She's letting you in on an ancient secret. Will you listen?
Although not directly related to the main point of this article, this video gives some interesting information into some of the other theories revolving around these figures.
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