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Description

This statue depicts the goddess of love, Aphrodite (Venus to Romans). The goddess is standing tall while looking down. She also has a sheet around her waist. It is said that Venus was indeed created with arms, but they were so badly damaged from years in the ground that they could not be restored.

Venus De Milo

Artist: Alexandros of Antioch

Date: Between 130 and 100 BC

Medium: Marble 

Provenance: Greek island of Milos

Source: louvre.fr

Analysis Of Elements Of Art

Aphrodite is an organic for because she is representing a human figure. The texture of her hair is very rough because it has so many creases contained in one space. Her body on the other hand, is very smooth because it is representing her skin. In some sculptures, the skin might be rough, but since Venus is the goddess of love and beauty, she is shown as flawless. The texture of the sheet is a combination of smooth and rough because iit has creases, but they are spread apart and not as abundant.

Analysis Of Principles Of Design 

Contrast is used in the dramatic change from rough to smooth. Venus' hair is very wrinkly, but as the viewers' eyes move down, they see that her face and neck are very sleek. There is no transition period between textures. The way Alexandros made Aphrodite's head lean back creates the illusion that it is smaller than the rest of her body. This causes the viewer to focus on her body, which the Greeks highly valued.

Interpretation- The rough lines of her hair and on her sheet symbolize that even though Aphrodite was the goddess of love and beauty, she could be hash and cruel when needed. Her smooth body, on the other hand, portrays the beautiful and kind nature that she is known for.

Judgement- I really enjoy this figure because of what it symbolizes. For millions of years, and still so today, women have this unrealistic expectation of perfection that they look up to which causes their self-esteem to plummet when they cannot achieve what society is forcing on them. Then, here is your goddess of beauty standing before you with no arms. Even though, this statue is not what society would call acceptable, it has still become a symbol beauty for the past hundreds of years all around the world. It shows that it is okay to be different, and to stand out. I guarantee you that if her hands could have been restored, this statue woulkd not have been nearly as well known.