Woman of Willendorf

Some might think that The 'Woman of Willendorf' is a strong or stable piece. Strong for either feministic reasons or the fact that she is a very solid figure. Perhaps they feel it could be a comforting figure, or a motherly one. However, I feel that she is a very unsteady and unstable piece. Frightening almost.

The figurine itself is just over 4 inches in length, not an opposing figure in the least - she fits in the palm of your hand. There are no feet which implies that she was never meant to stand on her own. If it -were- to be placed on it's tiny feet, she would instantly fall over due to being so top heavy. Not to mention, the placement of her legs also give no stability to the piece. With her knees slightly bent as they are and the feet slightly splayed, it makes it a difficult position to stand in for a living human, let alone a carved statuette. This stance is also more 'feminine', and to some, 'feminine' is weaker or less stable than a male stance. Looked at as a whole, the entire piece is just slightly off symmetrically, giving it an even more unbalanced appearance. Everything about her is a bit lopsided. To my eye, something just this off in symmetry looks as if it's about to fall over. Something significantly different in symmetry is fine, but the human figure for the most part, is quite even. This woman however has too much that is off kilter.

Something else that makes it unsteady for me is the fact that she is missing some distinct human features, most namely a face. It's very off-putting when something human has no face. It's unnatural. She is also missing distinct arms. Certainly they are there, but at first glance, I did not notice them. Lastly, as I mentioned before, she is missing feet. There are what seem to be toes, but without clear feet, it seems almost like her legs are just stumps.

 All of this, alone makes it seem unsteady but for me, what makes it the most so is the fact that the stone itself seems almost dirty still - as if there is still dirt clinging to the statue. Plus, it is filled with small pores and lumps on the limestone giving a texture of something other than human skin. To me, that is what makes it the most unstable, as if it is about to start falling apart or flaking off.

In a way this piece is frightening. I like things I recognize clearly and easily but this woman has no face, no clear arms or feet, and I'm uncertain of what is on her head. It -could- be hair, or -could- be a hat. 'Could' is not a word I'm over fond of. I like things to be very clearly one thing or another. Perhaps frightening was not quite the word I wanted, but certainly she is off-putting and not something I would prefer to stare at.