1908년 오스트리아의 조그만 마을인 빌렌도르프에서 철도공사 중에 우연히 찾아진 여인의 조각품을 미의 여신인 비너스로 부르기 시작하면서 여인상은 후기 구석기시대의 예술품으로서 가장 완성도 높은 걸작으로 평가받고 있다. 초창기에 찾아진 이 비너스들은 특히 신체의 일부분(가슴과 엉덩이)을 매우 두드러지게 강조하여 다산과 풍요를 상징하는 주술적인 의미가 담긴 유물로 추정되었다. 하지만 자세히 살펴보면 이들은 후기 구석기시대에 모두 같은 양상으로 전개된 것이 아니라 각 문화단계별로 많은 변화를 이루며 제작되었던 것으로 밝혀진다. 먼저 오리나시안 문화단계에는 간단한 성적 상징을 가지고 여성을 표현했던 것으로 나타난다. 즉 매우 상징적으로 바위 등에 여성을 표현하였음을 볼 수 있는데 최근에는 이시기에도 여인상(입체)의 존재가 확인되고 있다. 이어지는 그라베티안 문화단계에서는 신체의 일부인 가슴과 배 엉덩이 등을 강조한 전형적인 여인상(비너스)들이 나타난다. 이들은 다산과 풍요를 기원하는 기원품으로 이해되고 있다. 한편 동구권에서 나오는 비너스들은 오히려 사실적 표현으로 볼 수 있기도 하다. 후기 구석기시대의 끝무렵인 막달레니안 문화단계에서는 여성을 표현하는 것이 오히려 추상적이고 기하학적으로 변하여 감을 알 수 있다. 또한 이들은 크기도 작아 목걸이 등으로 이용되었을 가능성이 있다. 이렇듯 여성에 대한 표현양식이 후기구석기시대에도 문화단계에 따라 달리 표현되고 있음을 알 수 있으며 이것을 통해 당시 사람들의 미의식의 변화 내지는 예술관을 엿볼 수 있는 것이다.

In this article, the representative female figures(Venus) should be reconsidered according to the cultural stages that developed in the Upper Paleolithic period(38,000 to 12,000 years ago). Through the study of how women's images change in each culture stage and what social meanings of these changes are, we can get a glimpse of the artistic sense and consciousness system of the Paleolithic people. First, the people of the aurignacian culture symbolically represent women as distinctive features such as vulva. In general, these sexual symbols were engraved on the rock, but the recent evidence shows the possibility that statues existed from this time on. The Venus as an authentic sculpture is from the stage of Gravettian culture. In general, there are a lot of very fat women who emphasize specific parts during this period. Some scholars have argued that the purpose of creating such a lady(Venus) was to wish for fertility and richness(Leroi-gourhan, 1971). However, these fat women appear mainly in western Europe, while the venus of eastern Europe are lighter and possibly more realistic. Perhaps the people in this region are likely to have made the doll without any special meaning. In any case, this is the time when a typical woman statue(Venus) was created. In the Solutrean culture stage, the coldest period of the Late Paleolithic age, there is no woman image. And the subsequent Magdalenian culture people express the woman's appearance in a totally different way. People in this period began to express the shape of women geometrically and abstractly. We can not find any more bountifulness or generosity for a lady in a natural sitting position or a woman who has been made with a long cut. Moreover, given the very small size of these statues, it is very likely that they were made for use as accessories, such as pendants and necklaces. The women who are represented on the rocks can also be seen as a very graphic and abstract figure without the chest and head.  In sum, Aurignacian people of the late Paleolithic age represented by sexual symbol in the expression of women. And in the gravettian culture they created the typical lady statue(Venus), and finally the Magdalenian culture people leaved the women figures so geometric and abstract. In spite of the many problems still to be solved, we will not be able to ignore the beauty and mystery of this masterpiece of the art of the late Paleolithic Women status (Venus).

In this article, the representative female figures(Venus) should be reconsidered according to the cultural stages that developed in the Upper Paleolithic period(38,000 to 12,000 years ago). Through the study of how women's images change in each culture stage and what social meanings of these changes are, we can get a glimpse of the artistic sense and consciousness system of the Paleolithic people. First, the people of the aurignacian culture symbolically represent women as distinctive features such as vulva. In general, these sexual symbols were engraved on the rock, but the recent evidence shows the possibility that statues existed from this time on. The Venus as an authentic sculpture is from the stage of Gravettian culture. In general, there are a lot of very fat women who emphasize specific parts during this period. Some scholars have argued that the purpose of creating such a lady(Venus) was to wish for fertility and richness(Leroi-gourhan, 1971). However, these fat women appear mainly in western Europe, while the venus of eastern Europe are lighter and possibly more realistic. Perhaps the people in this region are likely to have made the doll without any special meaning. In any case, this is the time when a typical woman statue(Venus) was created. In the Solutrean culture stage, the coldest period of the Late Paleolithic age, there is no woman image. And the subsequent Magdalenian culture people express the woman's appearance in a totally different way. People in this period began to express the shape of women geometrically and abstractly. We can not find any more bountifulness or generosity for a lady in a natural sitting position or a woman who has been made with a long cut. Moreover, given the very small size of these statues, it is very likely that they were made for use as accessories, such as pendants and necklaces. The women who are represented on the rocks can also be seen as a very graphic and abstract figure without the chest and head. In sum, Aurignacian people of the late Paleolithic age represented by sexual symbol in the expression of women. And in the gravettian culture they created the typical lady statue(Venus), and finally the Magdalenian culture people leaved the women figures so geometric and abstract. In spite of the many problems still to be solved, we will not be able to ignore the beauty and mystery of this masterpiece of the art of the late Paleolithic Women status (Venus).

Women status(Venus), Upper paleolithic age, Aurignacian, symbolic, Gravettian, authentic, Magdalenian, geometric