Formal Shift of the Human Body from Paleolithic to Byzantine

Pin I Wu

Professor Hamilton

Western Art History

July 11 2016

Formal Shift of the Human Body from Paleolithic to Byzantine

        The definition of beauty in human body had been changing during different period as the result of different culture^[1]. The purpose of this essay is to talk about the formal shift of the representation of human body during four different periods.

        The textbook, the Janson’s History of Art, reports that women are the common subjects in Paleolithic sculpture, which a plethora of the artists from the Paleolithic period depicted women in their sculptures. Venus figurines are best known in Paleolithic period’s human body representation, and these “Venus figurines” represents a sense of beauty during the Paleolithic period, and show people what was considered beauty during that period. According to Kaylea R.Vandewettering, the author of Upper Paleolithic Venus Figurines and Interpretations of Prehistoric Gender Representations, some of the themes of the human representation art work from the Paleolithic period include sex, beauty, fertility, and sometimes they represent actual human. ^[2] The Venus of Willendorf is best known of its role as the most famous representation of female body during the Paleolithic period, and it was found in Danube River, which is in Autria, it was made out of Limestone in 28,000-25,000 BCE. In the Venus of the Willendorf, it can be seen that the artist focused on the body of Willendorf by giving it an exaggerated round body with particular emphasis on its breast and buttocks. In addition, the hands and legs are small comparing to the body with braided hair wrapped around the head, and it has neither mouth nor eyes.^[3] Scholars today believe that the Venus of Willendorf is not a representation of beauty but a representation of fertility since the role of women during that time was to bare children. Yet, it was hard due to the circumstances during the Paleolithic period.

        The Greek period, which is the second period that this paper is going to discuss. Freestanding sculptures were developed in Greek period, which sculpture could stand by its own, and this technique is considered as a striking change. Greek sculptures often idealized the human body and show what was considered beauty in the eye of the artists. Mark Cartwright, the author of Greek sculptures, says that, Greek sculptors were particularly concerned with proportion, poise, and the idealized perfection of the human body.”^[4] The National Archaeological Museum reports that the Bronze Status of Zeus is probably one of the best-known sculptures during the Greek period; it is made in bronze in between 460 BCE to 450 BCE, found at the bottom of the sea near off cape Artmession in north Eubea. In this statue, Zeus has one of his arm extended forward and is probably holding a thunder. The artist of this sculpture focused on the muscles line of Zeus and show the audience an idealize and near perfect body. ^[5]