comparison Menkaure
From the Stone Age in 25,000 BC through the late classical period in 400 BC women have been constantly portrayed in many different ways. As man evolved over the centuries his views of the female body also transformed. The changing representation of women can be seen in four pieces of art, the Venus of Willendorf, The statue of Menkaure and his Wife, The Snake Goddess and the Aphrodite of Knidos. Each statue presents very different characteristics and views, yet they all had one thing in common, female nudity. The best known Paleolithic female figure is the Venus of Willendorf, which dates back to between 28,000 and 25,000 BC. The tiny statue, which is only four and a half inches tall, is made of limestone and was named after the town, which she was found in, Willendorf, Austria. The sculpture shows a very anatomically exaggerated woman, which has suggested to many that this served as a fertility image. The sculpture shows a nude woman with a large stomach that sticks out but does not hide her pubic area. The stomach appears to depict pregnancy. Her thighs and breast are also enormous yet her arms and hands are very thin in comparison. The sculpture gave little importance to detail and gave
es were created from the original Aphrodite of Knidos. in many other statues of women. It may indicate that the queen is a fertility figurine like the Venus of Willendorf who also displays the same outline. Egyptian sculptors created these types of statues to represent the deceased and to serve as homes for the ka (our idea of the soul). Furthermore they chose to create them out of stone in order for the sculpture to achieve permanence of style. Overall a lot of differences can be seen between the portrayal of the Menkaure and queen, especially in the concealment of their bodies. In many previous cultures when drawings of statues of kings where created, the kings were always portrayed as larger than the other figures in order to show their superiority. Yet the statue of Menkaure and his Wife shows the queen at the same height as the king giving her more importance than was given to numerous women. The statue of Menkaure and his wife from the Old Kingdom also portrays women in a different view. The statue, created between 2490 and 2472 BC, is done in a stone block in the typical standing pose of Egyptian art. The Queen stands with her left foot forward as does her husband. She embraces him with her right arm around his waist; her left arm rests on the kings left arm. This gesture indicates her marital status. Her face is very unexpressive and the couple shows no affection as they look out into space rather at each other. The king also wears a royal headpiece called a nemes, which is tucked in behind his ears. The queen wears a ceremonial wig, which is als
Some common words found in the essay are:
Willendorf Austria, Aphrodite Knidos, Venus Willendorf, Snake Goddess, Stone Age, Menkaure Wife, venus willendorf, snake goddess, statue menkaure wife, female nudity, menkaure wife, aphrodite knidos, pubic region, statue menkaure, breasts pubic region, left arm, fertility image, willendorf statue, venus willendorf statue,
Approximate Word count = 1059
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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