Fertility Goddesses and Gods

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Rudolf Thornton
6 years ago
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1 Reproduction and Sexuality Fertility Goddesses and Gods Human reproduction is important to all cultures to carry on the family line and to contribute to the work force. During the Paleolithic period, goddess were round, bulbous figures with swollen bellies, breast and thighs. By the Neolithic period, goddess also became more wedge-shaped, angular and became known as plank idols. Fertility gods had large penises to represent virility of the man and his family line. Some of these early representations could have been used in rituals and/or past down from one generation to another maintaining its mana (power).

2 Fertility Goddesses Venus of Willendorf 25,000 20,000 BCE Stone 4 3/8 H Paleolithic - Austria Cypriot fertility goddess BCE Mother of the Fruitful Breast 2000 BCE Babylonian

Fertility Goddesses Beersheba Venus 4500-3500 BCE Hippo ivory Jerusalem

3 Fertility Goddesses Beersheba Venus BCE Hippo ivory Jerusalem Idol from Amorgos BCE Marble 30 H Neolithic - Cycladic Islands

4 Fertility Goddesses Venus of Willendorf 25,000 20,000 BCE Stone 4 3/8 H Paleolithic - Austria Idol from Amorgos BCE Marble 30 H Neolithic - Cycladic Islands Mother of the Fruitful Breast 2000 BCE Babylonian

have been fascinated with prehistoric man and his imagery.

5 Relief sculpture Venus of Lassel France Paleolithic era 21,000 BCE bas relief Sandra Wascher Secrets 1992 ceramic 50 x 36 Since art school, I have been fascinated with prehistoric man and his imagery. It inspired the piece above after a personal event in my life and was therapeutic in its creation.

Diego Rivera was commissioned to paint a series of frescos on the ceiling and walls in the chapel (now a conference room) at the Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo.

6 Diego Rivera was commissioned to paint a series of frescos on the ceiling and walls in the chapel (now a conference room) at the Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo. The frescos are titled Tierra Fecundada (Fertile Land). The university specializes in agriculture and forestry. These frescos are considered some of Rivera s greatest works. Diego Rivera The Virgin Earth Universidad Autonoma de Chapingo, Chapel Mexico

7 Diego Rivera The Fertile Earth Universidad Automona de Chapingo, Chapel Fresco mural

The goddess of fertility was inspirational to me when I

Who would need a bra, such as mine (on the right) in

Sandra Wascher Artemis 2000 1999 Mixed media Lady of

8 The goddess of fertility was inspirational to me when I was asked to be in a show titled Reinventing the Bra. Who would need a bra, such as mine (on the right) in the 21 st C? Sandra Wascher Artemis Mixed media Lady of Ephesus Roman sculpture CE from the Temple of Artemis 550 BCE Greek Ephesus (in present-day Turkey)

Man s desire to reach towards the skies and its own penis being an important entity of virility,

9 Fertility Gods Obelisks usually represented a sun ray, yet I find them to also be a representation of a male phallic symbol, since these heavy stone pieces had to be erected. Man s desire to reach towards the skies and its own penis being an important entity of virility, strength and prosperity. Granite Obelisk, Karnak 1280 BCE Erected by King Tuthmosis I Ancestral Poles 1960 New Guinea

10 Fertility Gods Priapus God of Fertility protector of livestock, fruit plants, gardens and male genitalia Pompeii 1 st C CE Roman fresco (Greek mythology)

11 Priapus God of Fertility Pompeii 1 st C CE Roman fresco Fertility Gods

12 Fertility Gods Priapus, God of Fertility Gallo-Roman 3 rd C CE Priapus, God of Fertility Roman CE marble 62 h

13 Ato Fertility God Bontoc Tribe Philippines

14 Art Depicting Primordial and Human Couples Primordial first couple or mother/father of humankind Rooted in creation myths, Adam and Eve are depicted in Jewish, Christian and Muslim religions. Imagery of the garden of Eden and their expulsion from it. What might this metaphoric story represent?

15 Primordial Couples Masaccio The Expulsion from Paradise 1427 Albrecht Dürer Adam and Eve Engraving 1504 Renaissance

16 Michelangelo Garden of Eden & Expulsion Sistine Chapel ceiling

17 Primordial Couples Fernando Botero Adam y Eva 1970s Susan Valadon Adam and Eve 1909

18 Human Couples Jan van Eyck The Marriage of Giovanni Arnolfini and Giovanna Cenami 1434 Fernando Botero Les Arnolfini 1978 appropriation

19 Human Couples / Miscegenation Anton Hickel Roxelane and the Sultan 1780 Alexandre-Marie Colin Othello and Desdemona 1829

20 Human Couples/ Eroticism Egon Schiele Expressionism Two Women 1915 Two Women Embracing 1915

Primordial & Human Couples Henry Moore Family

Ancestral Couple Yoruba people, Ikere, Nigeria

21 Primordial & Human Couples Henry Moore Family Group bronze Many modern artists of the 20 th C were influenced by African art, such as Henry Morore and Pablo Picasso. Ancestral Couple Yoruba people, Ikere, Nigeria Olowe of Ise-Palace Sculpture King and Queen Henry Moore 1953 bronze

22 Primordial & Human Couples Pablo Picasso Female Form 1949 bronze Dogon people Ancestral Couple Mali, Africa 28 ¼ Young Man Pablo Picasso 1956 bronze

23 Human Couples Beatrice Wood Neo-Realism He Could Not Wait 1984 ceramic Point of No Return ¾ x 12 x 7 ceramic

24 Beatrice Wood Good Morning America 1988 Ceramic 23 x 17 Neo-Realism

25 Additive Sculpture Constructing Sandra Wascher Second Thoughts 2001 Steel & mixed media 36 x 60 x 28

This is an introduction to Italian Art - The Renaissance

This is an introduction to Italian Art - The Renaissance I am Mr. Lanni, Art Teacher at Columbia Middle School. I will lead you through this presentation which highlights a few artists from this period.