The Woman from Wilendorf is not the kind of woman that our culture would see as ideal. Coming from about 24,000 BCE, this was most likely a generic representation, focusing less on image and more on fertility, as you can see from the shape of the possibly pregnant stomach, the detail of genitalia, and the large breasts. She is about 11 centimeters tall and meant to be held on one’s hand, so she was not meant to be placed on display or observed by a group of people as artwork–the way we think of it–usually is today. She was painted with red ochre, possibly indicating the importance of menstruation and survival based on reproduction. The Woman was originally called a “Venus,” as she was created slightly after the Aurignacian Period. The Venuses were objects of sexuality, so she was stripped of that title, seeing as she is a representation or fertility rather than sex. Another thing to note here is her posture. she is straight up, shoulders back, head forward (for as much as we can tell). Her arms rest on top of her breasts and she in not covering herself. It is a very stoic image of a woman compared to the Venuses. However it is just as bold in comparison to prehistoric representations of the male gender.
The Lion-human coming from Hohlentstein-stadel, Germany, 30,000 -25,000 BCE, is possibly a representation of an actual lion with human-like posture, or a man with the decorations of an animal preparing for a hunt. Seeing it as a man could indicate exactly how fierce, capable, and powerful the male gender was seen to be. Like the Woman above, there is also a small focus and detail with genitalia. According to Robert Myron’s Prehistoric Art, this sculpture was created just in after the Aurignacian Period and the Magdalenian period; the former focused on the Venus, and the latter, on the animal, and the “human image is rare in Magdalenian art.” This piece of artwork was clearly representing dominance, either of the male sex of animals in general, or the human male, and his ability to conquer other animals. In contrast to the Woman of Wilendorf, the man has a tensed posture, while she was subtly confidant. The man looks prepared and on guard, arms away from his body and shoulder slightly forward as if ready to fight. He also has several notches on his arm which could indicate wounds from “battle.” Both the male and the female have stoic confidence, but in two very different ways; one is ready for childbirth (basically) and the other is ready for the hunt. But let’s be honest, they both require the same amount of strength and stamina.
Works Cited
Myron, Robert. Prehistoric Art. New York: Pitman Pub., 1964. Print.
Help Received: Prehistoric Art; Wikipedia–>dates
