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REPRESENTATIONS OF WOMEN IN ART.
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Examines how depictions of women throughout history illustrate the roles of women in various groups.... More...
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Paper Abstract:
Examines how depictions of women throughout history illustrate the roles of women in various groups. Focuses on Paleolithic, Egyptian & Indian art. Venus sculptures. Reductioin of female figure to its reproductive function. Lower status depicted in size of female figure. Female deities as representatives of power & protector of society, not just fertility objects.
Paper Introduction:
In many cultures throughout history, depictions of women in art were far less common than representations of men. When women are shown in art the form of representation offers some clues as to the roles of women in the various groups. In the examples considered here two so-called Venus figures from Paleolithic art, two Egyptian "portraits" of women and girls of the highest class, and two goddess sculptures from India offer some insight into the ways women were perceived in these societies. They do not, however, offer more than a slight indication--especially in the Paleolithic and Indian examples--of the ways women functioned in everyday life, although it is possible to infer some things from these works of art.
Two Paleolithic sculptures of women are of the type that have been designated "Venus" figures because they are presumed to
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Thecrescent shape of the horn recalls the moon and the identification offemale fertility with the phases of the moon and monthly menstruation mayindicate that the maker of this piece saw a mystical connection between themoon and female reproduction which she or he could not fully understand butwhich filled her/him with an awe of this female characteristic which mayhave carried over into the society's everyday view of women. Nebamun's wife does notactually take part in the hunt but stands at the end of the boat dressed inan elaborate fashion that would not be conducive to such activity. In many cultures throughout history, depictions of women in art werefar less common than representations of men. The goddess sculptures share many characteristics. These goddesses represent immense power--asindicated by their domination of the lions beneath them--and, as goddesses,embody much more than the principle of female reproductive faculties.Ambika is presented in her maternal aspect, of course, and the fruit isindicative of fertility. Two Indian sculptures representing goddesses present a very differentversion of women. It is difficult to say from these figures that women were generallyregarded in these cultures as nothing more than the sum of theirreproductive abilities. Itsdate is estimated at around 27, -22, BCE. Both figures also seem to embody an idea of femalebeauty. But it is entirely possible that the principalroles that women were believed to occupy may have been the primary focus ofattempts to represent the female--or specific females--in art. In the examples considered here two so-called Venusfigures from Paleolithic art, two Egyptian "portraits" of women and girlsof the highest class, and two goddess sculptures from India offer someinsight into the ways women were perceived in these societies. The second, the Femme a la Corne (Woman with a Horn) (44cm), is from Laussel, Dordogne in France and is a low relief carved into alarge rock outcrop (and later cut away from it for museum display). 8 x 22.86 cm),dates from the ninth century CE. Two Paleolithic sculptures of women are of the type that have beendesignated "Venus" figures because they are presumed to embody some notionof beauty as the goddess Venus did in Western European art. Tara, on the other hand,was a "savior"--a goddess whose intercession brought mercy to human beings--as her open palm (directed down toward humanity) and the sweet smile on herface indicate. They are plump and sturdy,displaying soft folds of fat at the neck and midsection, and have large,prominently rounded breasts that are barely covered by a transparent scarfin the Tara figure and not covered at all in the Ambika. The goddessTara rests one foot on a lotus, extends one hand, palm outward, to theviewer, and holds another lotus stem in her (only) other hand. There are signs of the lesserstatus of the women, of course, such as the much smaller size of Nebamun'swife and the lower seat occupied by Nefertiti. Her fourth armholds a male child whose head has, sadly, been broken off. Both are from the Bihar region of India and are stonesculptures intended as objects for veneration by the faithful. The Sensuous Immortals. The family ofAkhenaten is seated beneath the streaming rays of the sun and the childrenare quite playful. But the fact that the Femmea la Corne holds an animal's horn in her hand is also suggestive. Cambridge, MA: Los Angeles County Museum of Art-MIT Press, 1977. Hisdaughter, however, plucks lotus flowers from the water. The absence of features on the Willendorf figure, whose head isalmost entirely covered by a woven hat of some kind, and the barelysketched in features of the Laussel carving (which may also be more roughlyabraded than the rest of the figure) reinforce the suggestion that theseworks separate women's reproductive faculty from other things women mayhave done and that they represent this feminine principle as anabstraction. The wife and daughter of Nebamun andQueen Nefertiti and her daughters are all members of the ruling class andare shown accompanying their husbands. Their body types are very similar. The youngest girl plays with the streamers on hermother's crown and the elder daughters point childishly at each other. It is not possible to verify this inference on the basis of anythingin the works themselves. Or, on the other hand, they maymerely have been celebrations of that faculty and intended more to ensuregood fortune in the future without specific reference to higher powers.Either way it is clear that the sculptors' view of the female was, at leastin these works, a matter of reducing them to their vital reproductivefunction. Works CitedAldred, Cyril. But they are also treatedas worthy of participating in the religious 'moments' depicted. The migrating marshbirds that arrived annually seemed like a miraculous event and to hunt themwas to reenact the sport of the marsh goddess. In these societies females, therefore, may have beenseen as capable of achieving heights of feeling and acting spheres thatseem to lie outside the scope of the women shown in the other art discussedhere. Certainly the annualmiraculous explosion of wildfowl in the marshes of the life-giving Nilecould connect with fertility. The Egyptian works discussed here both date from around 135 BCE andfeature women in their roles as members of their families. The first is afragment of a wall-painting from the tomb of Nebamun, located in WesternThebes. But both scenes areremarkable in that they show entire families engaged in activities thatseem mundane but actually have religious significance. Cambridge Illustrated History of Prehistoric Art. And the importance of the Queen in thecontinuation of the family line, and the sanction that Aten offers her andher three eldest daughters in this sculpture, also hints that thedepictions of women, even when they are of particular women, may be linkedto their reproductive roles. One, theJain Goddess Ambika (68.6 x 45.7 x 25.4 cm), dates from the sixth centuryCE and the other, the Buddhist Goddess Tara (86.36 x 45. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1994.Bahn, Paul G. Both of these Egyptian works show identifiable females, although theyare not necessarily portraits in the sense of being attempts to reproducethe actual features of the subjects. Butthe sun that shines on them is Aten, the sole god at the center ofAkhenaten's revolutionary monotheistic theology, and the royal familyderives not just the benefits of the sun but their authority to rule fromits rays. Thepresence of wife and daughter in the symbolic hunt depicted in the tombpainting may mean, however, that the goddess or some other parts of thepicture make reference to female fertility. This carving depicts King Akhenaten and QueenNefertiti with their three daughters. The first isthe so-called Venus of Willendorf (11.1 cm high), which is a portablelimestone carving that dates from circa 24, -22, BCE and was found insouthern Austria. While she is idealized as a female and therefore shares thesame physical characteristics as Ambika, she is clearly located in aBuddhist heaven--as the small figures behind her show--and her immensekindness in even bothering with the suffering of human beings is atranscendent trait. But she is also a fighter against the evils thatbeset humanity and is, therefore, seen as a protector of the society asmuch as a potential benefactor of its fertility. The differenceslie in their other attributes. The Egyptians. These representations of female deities have something in common withthe Paleolithic Venuses but there is much more to them than just theirreproductive abilities. Thesculptures appear to be meant to seek, in some way, the favor of a higherpower that ruled over human fecundity. Ambika is shown in several aspects sinceshe has four arms and her hands hold fruit and a weapon. They donot, however, offer more than a slight indication--especially in thePaleolithic and Indian examples--of the ways women functioned in everydaylife, although it is possible to infer some things from these works of art. With their highly exaggerated bodies and the clear focus of thesculptors' attention to breasts, vulvas, and hips these sculptures havebeen taken to refer to fertility, most likely in a religious context. Although these are, therefore, formalized depictions of particularwomen the fact that there presence was considered important enough toinclude them in these works indicates that women were regarded assignificant beings--at least insofar as their role in the family (and theperpetuation of the family line) was concerned. Cambridge, England: Cambridge UP, 1998.Pal, Pratapaditya. Women would certainly have had to take on manytasks in the society other than childbearing and child rearing and thesesculptures say nothing, of course, about that. It is 4.5 cm tall and depicts Nebamun hunting water fowl,accompanied on his reed boat by his wife and daughter. Never the less, the playfulness of thechildren in these family groups indicates that a high value was also placedon family life in this society. Rev. ed. When women are shown in artthe form of representation offers some clues as to the roles of women inthe various groups. The second work isa limestone stela (32 cm tall) which is carved in sunken relief and comesfrom Tell el Amarna. Ambika sits on alion, her usual mount, and Tara sits, in the same position, on a thronesupported by lions.
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