content3=Throughout history women have been depicted in two polarized categories: as virtious and as polluting. 

From the age of the classical Venus to the interpretation of the Venus of Willendorf, we can see how women have been depicted throughout art history is as goddess, virtuous beauties and saviors to men.

Venus was originally depicted as a Roman goddess of love and beauty, similar to the Greek goddess Aphrodite. The myth of Venus is that she rose from the sea and brought beauty into the world. Therefore, images of Venus in Roman culture represent the ideal woman, a goddess both pure and beautiful. In the Roman time period, statues of the goddess were constructed, depicting her with a perfect figure, an heir of innocence and a sweet smile.

Renaissance Venus: We can see the continuity of this representation of women. During the Renaissance there was a reversion to Greek and Roman images of beauty and humanity. In 1482 Sandro Boticelli unveiled his interpretation of the classical Venus with his painting The Birth of Venus.  Sandro Boticelli looked back to the Roman myth of Venus to reinterpret it and to glorify the human form in the Renaissance tradition of his age. He tried to represent Venus rising from the sea and bringing beauty to the world. The female figure of Venus in his piece represents the Renaissance ideal of women being a goddess, virtuous, beautiful, and cerebral.

Venus of Willendorf circa: Venus of Willendorf was found in 1908 in Lascaux France, and is from circa 30,000-25,000 BCE. She is a limestone figurine probably with flint tools in the prehistoric era, and is probably the first found depiction of the human form. When the statue was found, the Venus of Willendorf was easily placed into historical tradition of depicting women as goddesses, and therefore, she was named Venus of Willendorf. 

While classical Venus had suppressed sexuality, Venus of Willendorf has an overly exaggerated one. Therefore, it was almost a joke to Westerners that Venus of Willendorf was a failed Venus, not unattractive female ideal. Male viewers judged her against the Greek and Roman images of female goddesses that were perfect anatomically and unobtainable standards of beauty.

Venus of Willendorf has large breasts and has no emphasis on her stomach or hips; she does not have feet, yet her pubic area is overly detailed. It is possible that she could have been a fertility goddess or a fertility amulet, since only her reproductive organs are highlighted. The stature is thought of as natural, female but not feminine. Her lack of face makes her more into a sex object because she is not an individual, she could be any woman.

She has come to represent the image of the mother goddess, Mother God, Mother Earth. Throughout history women have been depicted in this way. For example, the Ancient Greeks had the concept of Thegony, the Romans had Tellus or Terra Matter. In the pagan period the image of mother goddess was suppressed, but it reemerged in the 18th Century when anthropologist Johan Jacob Bachofen and scientist Darwin agreed that there had been times in history where women had been the matriarchs. Therefore, the Venus of Willendorf has come to symbolize one of the images of women in art: the image of the goddess, of the ruler, and of fertility.

In Christianity women were often depicted as virtuous, saintly and maternal. The Virgin Mary came to embody the female in art and myth. She embodies nurturing qualities and compassion for humanity. She has a virginal quality. Women have been depicted as Mary through the ages, as innocent, and mothers, lacking sexuality.

The image of Mary has translated to secular painting, manifesting in the Renaissance time in portraits of courtly women. Courtly Female portraits represented women as symbols of beauty and virtue. During this time it was believed that women were able to help a man s status, by choosing her knight to impart nobleness upon.

Domenico Ghilrandaio s Giovanna Delgi of 1498 portrays a courtly woman dressed in upper class clothing set in a lavish background. The painting focuses on her physical beauty. Her identity was seen as a virtuous and beautiful, a woman pure and attached to her family.

Above, we made mention that Impressionists depicted women in an Eve like role, but they also depicted women in a courtly, Mary like fashion. Some Impressionists depicted the rich upper class flaneur female enjoying the upper class social activities reserved for the elites (a similar motif to the one of courtly women.)

And the tradition continues to advertising.