A quick background:
In my first year Art history class I was introduced to the Venus of Willendorf figurine by Prof Duffy (bow tie and all - the type of character you find only in Charles Dickens novels).
I was completely fascinated by this little statue. Not by the exquisite detail or the skill, but by the fact that someone took the time to carve that shape out of stone. To spend that much time means you are either unemployed or it must be something so important or close to your heart that you would take the time to do it.
What I could not fathom is how someone could be so fascinated by that shape.
In the words of Allan Comittee "She was the Britney Spears of her time, literally the first rock star".
Quite a statement and it would explain the fascination and obsession required to carve the figure yet, if we have a look you might notice she is not exactly the body type we worship these days:
A body shape like that will never be on the cover of anything else than "Archaeology Monthly" or "Artifact Digest" yet in her time she would have been the equivalent of Charlise Theron. Huisgenoot would do a sob story on her horrible life and subsequent discovery, FHM would have her posing on a horse, PC format would have her holding a RAM chip and Time magazine would put her on the backpage wearing a diamond encrusted Raymond Weil watch - although in her time the diamond would still be a lump of coal.
So exactly how much did things change?
A few years ago my wife was lying on the couch and as I walked by I commented that she reminds me of Manet's Olympia. It was suppose to be a compliment but oh my, did that backfire!
I received a very angry message the next day after she researched it asking me if I really thought she was so overweight.
Here is Olympia: (My wife was clothed if you were wondering)
I still think she is beautiful and yes I know she was most probably a prostitute, but why spoil a good compliment with the facts.
Little things like these stuck in my head and all the while I wondered in fascination how anyone could love the voluptous shape of the venus figurine.
Now I am going to slowly wade into very murky and dangerous waters.
Disclaimer:
"To Yvette, my lover, friend and all round awesome wife, if you read this understand that it is in no way a comment on weight. I urge you to read, and keep all opinions, in context.
I understand and acknowledge that the following might result in a ban from the bedroom and I will move my sleeping bag to the couch in the event of such ban."
January this year I found out I am going to be a daddy. We are entering the 2nd trimester now and the baby bump is starting to show. The pregnant female form has never been very appealing to me and yet, when I noticed the bump for the first time something must have switched in my brain because I don't think she's ever been more beautiful and appealing than now... and the further she grows the better it gets.
For the first time I understood the love for the voluptuous figurine and suddenly Prof Duffy's explanation of fertility symbols made sense. It wasn't the figure per se, but what it represented that was so lovingly captured by that artist. In my head he was also a daddy, watching his little one grow and his wife become more radiant everday.
I now understand and feel a kinship with that artist stretching back to 22,000 BCE.
For the first time Venus of Willendorf looks, well... damn hot.
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