Prehistoric Art
What does Prehistoric mean? Events that occurred before written history. This part of history is divided into three periods The Stone Age The Bronze Age The Iron Age
Paleolithic Era (Old Stone Age) was from 33,000- 10,000 BCE) There were two kinds of art during this time Parietal art- paintings and engravings found in caves along the walls and ceilings (these caves were ceremonial sites, not for shelter) Mobiliary art- small, portable sculpted objects buried at habitation sites.
Venus of Willendorf 25,000 BCE Made of Limestone 4 3/8” high Naturhistorisches Museum in Vienna, Austria Suggest abundant fertility and a plentiful supply of food Found in 1908 Venus is the classical goddess of love and beauty This “Venus” was sort of a joke a “failed Venus”-not feminine
She is seen as a fertility idol due to the large breasts, the vagina being indicated, and a round stomach- compared to Venuses of the Renaissance with long thin bodies and no indication of a vagina. Some argue whether she is wearing a hat or if it is braided hair on top of her head Treatment of hair was rare in Paleolithic figurines She was perfectly preserved-never had feet Arms are short and skinny comparatively and hold the top of her breast She doesn’t have a face because this focuses on the only parts needed for reproduction The sculpture fits in your hand nicely
The Venus of W is a very realistic representation of a fat woman, however, she probably is a realistic representation of a woman at that time The Prehistoric people would have spent too much time hunting and gathering to become overweight Perhaps the V of W was very important among her people and was well fed and allowed to be lazy! Images of women outnumber those of men greatly at this time -Were women dominant?
Compare and Contrast How does the view of women from the Paleolithic era compare to that of today? -physically -societal role
Influential and Powerful Women of Today http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/family/inspirational-people/women-who-changed-our-world#slide-1