Prehistoric Art
Prehistoric Art
(Venus of Willendorf & the Minoan Snake Goddess)
Prehistoric art wasn’t a definite period of art. It was simply the name given to all art that occurred before recorded history. It was a way of reflecting beliefs, values and lifestyles to one’s culture. It was an era before any written history so everything was expressed through art. Prehistoric people created different art forms to represent where they belonged, where they were from and what they were part of. These people created such distinctive art to present their culture and values of fertility in the women. Cultures seem to have connected their art to animism, and to a variety of different types of rituals.
Minoan culture can be found in their ceramics, frescoes, stone carving and metalwork. The Minoans used clay to produce both ceramic pottery and sculpture which ranged from single figures to figure groups that included both people and animals. The most apparent characteristic of Minoan religion was that it was polytheistic and matriarchal, that is, a goddess religion; the gods were all female. The Snake Goddess statue represents an important female figure in Minoan culture. Because of her link with snakes and felines, along with her bare breasts, she was perhaps an earth goddess or a Minoan priestess. Since the figurine is only found in houses and in small shrines in the palaces, it was assumed that she was of a domestic goddess or goddess of the house.
The Goddess depicts a woman with open arms holding a snake in each hand, symbols of renewal, healing, and the cycle of life and death, and a feline sitting on her head. She is dressed in a layered skirt with a tight bodice, covered shoulders, and exposed breasts. The prominence of her breasts suggests that she is fertility figure. The goddess can be interpreted as personifying many of the perceived, and admired, characteristics of the Minoans, showing elegance, physical gracefulness, their sensitive yet bold personalities, highly
(Venus of Willendorf & the Minoan Snake Goddess)
Prehistoric art wasn’t a definite period of art. It was simply the name given to all art that occurred before recorded history. It was a way of reflecting beliefs, values and lifestyles to one’s culture. It was an era before any written history so everything was expressed through art. Prehistoric people created different art forms to represent where they belonged, where they were from and what they were part of. These people created such distinctive art to present their culture and values of fertility in the women. Cultures seem to have connected their art to animism, and to a variety of different types of rituals.
Minoan culture can be found in their ceramics, frescoes, stone carving and metalwork. The Minoans used clay to produce both ceramic pottery and sculpture which ranged from single figures to figure groups that included both people and animals. The most apparent characteristic of Minoan religion was that it was polytheistic and matriarchal, that is, a goddess religion; the gods were all female. The Snake Goddess statue represents an important female figure in Minoan culture. Because of her link with snakes and felines, along with her bare breasts, she was perhaps an earth goddess or a Minoan priestess. Since the figurine is only found in houses and in small shrines in the palaces, it was assumed that she was of a domestic goddess or goddess of the house.
The Goddess depicts a woman with open arms holding a snake in each hand, symbols of renewal, healing, and the cycle of life and death, and a feline sitting on her head. She is dressed in a layered skirt with a tight bodice, covered shoulders, and exposed breasts. The prominence of her breasts suggests that she is fertility figure. The goddess can be interpreted as personifying many of the perceived, and admired, characteristics of the Minoans, showing elegance, physical gracefulness, their sensitive yet bold personalities, highly