Meg Warriner

• Venus and the Classical Gaze: an Analysis of Provincial Depictions of the Goddess of Love
• BA Hons Ancient History and Archaeology

This project has a focus on the artistic representations of the goddesses Aphrodite and Venus, often seen as one in the same, throughout the Greek and Roman worlds respectively. I applied my skills in sculpting and photography as an artist myself in order to gain a more well-rounded idea of the motivations and themes behind certain artistic choices throughout the centuries, through visiting and photographing original works myself and also producing my own art piece inspires by my favourite aspects of the differing representations of the goddesses- both in artistic choice and archaeological significance. I focused on an analysis of the chronology of influence on historical artists and aim to highlight the importance of the effect of individual artistic choices when it comes to depicting deities. It has been a privilege to study and attempt to understand these awe-inspiring pieces of artwork immortalising the beauty of women in history.

Funded by: Newcastle University Research Scholarship

Project Supervisor: Dr James Gerrard