Every time I begin a post I am tempted to start by saying "I used to think .... (fill in the blank) but now I think .... (fill in the blank with a different phrase). I guess that the true purpose of this blog is to show me how I am changing in reaction to various experiences of my life.
When I was an undergrad art major I used to wonder why my art history professors even wasted time on teaching Greek and Roman art. It was not nearly as exciting or controversial as what was happening in contemporary art. When I was twenty years old I wanted a good discussion in class. That meant talking about what meaning was behind an artwork and how it rocked the world. The Venus de Milo was not what I would have considered interesting art. There was no controversy, no fascinating artist biography, no protests, or banned showings in galleries. So when that statue was mentioned time and time again in various classes, all I could think was, "Next slide, please!"
I am sure that you know where this is headed. I was so completely wrong about dismissing poor Venus without giving her credit. The Venus de Milo rocked my own personal world when I saw it at the Louvre in March of 2010. I found the statue to be breathtakingly beautiful. I could have looked at it all day long. Apparently I have mellowed because I would much rather be surrounded by beauty than controversy anymore.
My friend, E., and I were almost done with our visit to the Louvre. I was getting weary and would have easily decided to take up space on a bench instead of tracking down Venus. But E. was insistent and I followed along beside her. After some twists and turns of hallways and checking of our maps, we finally came across the statue. It was alone at the end of a long corridor. The other statues in the area had been temporarily moved but the museum had kept Ms. de Milo in her original spot. Being able to view the statue without any other artistic distractions made the experience even more powerful.
This statue is absolutely gorgeous. I cannot imagine having the vision nor the technical skill that was necessary to carve marble so gracefully and delicately. The statue seems muscular as well as soft. Venus is the epitome of quiet, unassuming feminine strength.
There was a large crowd of people gazing at the statue the same time that E. and I were. Some quickly scanned as they walked by, not taking much time to look or think about what they were seeing. Some, like myself, were staring. I wonder what each person was thinking. Were they considering the technical aspects of the creation of the Venus? Were they pondering how the statue survived for so many centuries? Wondering how many millions of people have viewed this particular piece of marble that happens to be in the shape of a woman? Were they pondering the intangible aspect of beauty?
Although I have thought about all of these philosophical aspects since originally seeing the statue, not all of my thoughts were deep at the time. First of all, I had no idea that the Venus de Milo was so buff. That statue has a serious set of abdominal muscles. I guess that having to haul water everyday from a well across town would make a Greek woman pretty strong. Secondly, it must have taken some skill for the model to have kept her garment draping so gracefully but not falling completely off. Lastly, I had the Bananarama song, "Venus", stuck in my head for days. For all those who were not a child of the 80's, that is where the title of this blog post comes from.
All kidding aside, seeing the Venus de Milo in real life made me reconsider something that I held as a truth but was actually a very outdated, uneducated, personal opinion. I am thankful that my old viewpoints have been changed once again. I can't wait for my next moment of "I used to think that but now I think this." It is becoming a welcome habit of mine.
