RIA VANDEN EYNDE
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Body
    • Landscape
    • Still Life
  • Process
  • cv & bio
  • CONTACT

Scribblings and Doodles: Process, Inspiration and Research Blog

Venuses and Me

12/9/2020

 
Last time I wrote about how in the Pre Existing Condition Diptych 'figures' my focus is on the woman's womb, emphasising the swirly, flowery - ha! O'Keeffe - look of the grey shapes against the background. 

Meanwhile I took an online course 'HERstory of Art,' in which we learned more about the many palaeolithic Venus figurines that were found all across Europe and beyond. I already posted about the figurines when I talked about the clay figures I made as part of The Anatomy Lesson body of work. Mostly, they are described as
 depictions of women, displaying the same body shape with the widest point at the abdomen and the female reproductive organs exaggerated. Oftentimes other details, such as the head and limbs, are neglected or absent which leads the figure to be abstracted to the point of simplicity. The heads are often of relatively small size and devoid of detail. Some may represent pregnant women, while others show no indication of pregnancy. There is also an more analytic study of the figurines as diamondlike structures, showing how much these figurines are in fact almost 'one and the same', considered mostly as a symbol of the cycles of nature, fertility, birth, and women as the bearers of life therein.
​

That schematic study totally resonates with the construction of my diptych, emphasis on womb, full belly, women as bearers of life, the diamond structure translates in flower structure in my paintings. I suddenly felt totally immersed in and connected to my primal roots in that ancient palaeolithic European, matriarchal (aka egalitarian) culture. And I felt completely comforted.

Comments are closed.

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    January 2025
    November 2024
    July 2024
    January 2024
    November 2023
    October 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    October 2022
    August 2022
    June 2022
    April 2022
    January 2022
    November 2021
    April 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020

    RSS Feed

privacy statement
accessibility
  • PORTFOLIO
    • Body
    • Landscape
    • Still Life
  • Process
  • cv & bio
  • CONTACT