The Venus of Willendorf is a simple statue of a woman made out of limestone. The Venus of Willendorf is not very tall. In the statue there is shiny and yet rocky texture to it. The body parts of the woman have seem to be exaggerated. The figure was found in 1908. It was labeled "Venus" by a man named Josef Szombathy.
The art in medieval times has many statues of woman that are nude and this just adds to that number. Venus is a goddess of beauty and sexuality. I remember the name Venus from learning about Greek mythology and also learning about the planets. This statue doesn't have that elegant look so some may not she is worth being called Venus. But beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Whoever created this statue wanted to show off the beautiful aspects of being a woman.
I can see how Venus of Willendorf can be considered the statue of fertility, I think it is because it's due to her massive belly. Others may think that she isn't pregnant but she is just fat. Some may also consider her an earth mother. Looking at the Venus statue I do think that she is some what mother like, I think it has to do with the texture on her head that makes me think of motherhood. I also wonder as to why there is a lack of hands and feet to the Venus statue.
I am not sure why it's a big deal about the name "Venus" because art is determined differently by each person. We should see art as for what it is not the content of its name. Although some works of art are named certain ways to allow the viewer to see it as the artist had seen it. I think that Venus is a good name for this statue because it allows people to look at the differences in the word venus and how it applies to the statue. Art can be ugly to some people and to other it's a masterpiece, its really in the eye of the beholder.
