In today's society there are many different views of prehistoric art. These views will differ from the original creator's views and motives behind creating the art. The Venus figurine, or Mother Earth, is an excellent example of how an ancient society can have something they worship, and in today's society it may be worshiped by one group, but only viewed as art by another.
Venus figurines have been found throughout the world by archeologists, confirming the fact that Mother Earth, who the sculpture was modeled after, was a very important part of their everyday life. Women in prehistoric society are perceived as life-givers because oh their ability to bear children. The figurines are always portrayed as a nude female with very large breasts, large buttocks, and an enlarged abdomen, suggesting that she is pregnant. For the most part they were sculpted out of stone, and perhaps had some red paint or dye on them which represented the menstruation of a woman. The people of the Paleolithic era were hunters and gathers, thus lending to their need for a life-giver in their tribes so that they may survive, and have move members in their tribe to do work. .
Paleolithic culture was one where life consisted of gathering food in the fields, and hunting; thus the sculptures were made small enough so that one could carry it around with them and have it in their home. The ability of being able to always have the figurine with you lent to the thoughts of contagion. The society suggested that if you can touch a likeness of Mother Earth, who they worshiped, you would receive power from her. For females that meant that they would have the ability to get pregnant, bear children and be attractive to the males of the society. For males it means that you would be blessed with children, a large family, and an attractive wife. It can be imagined that when people would hold it they would get a feeling of being more powerful and in control of their life; it gave them something to focus on in order to better things in their life that they couldn't control.
