Recently, I’ve been working on a research project about the character of Medusa and her use in art, literature and life over time. It has been a long journey, but an insightful one, and since the spinner has chosen to discuss art today, I’m going to show you one of the most striking paintings I found.
Trigger warning: It’s a bit disturbing.
This is the Medusa painted by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio in 1597, and one of the most visceral pieces of art I have ever seen. This painting has haunted my sleep for a while, since I started on the project.
It is painted on a round wooden shield –callback to Perseus’s mirror shield, most likely– covered in canvas, done with oil paints. There were two versions of this painting done, which were given to two different patrons. Caravaggio painted this to compete with Da Vinci (yes, that Da Vinci), who did a similar painting around the same time. However, we don’t have the later’s version, so we have no metric to judge who won this centuries-old competition. Caravaggio modeled for this himself, painting his own face in the mirror.
But look at the painting again. It’s shockingly life-like and far more grotesque than most of Medusa’s other portrayals. The only thing that comes close is the Perseus with the Head of Medusa statue created by Benevuento Cellini and that’s in bronze instead of red.
The twisted expression of shock and horror on Medusa’s face is something very real and human, reminding us that at the most basic level Perseus’s story is the story of a woman being mutilated by a man for no reason other than his own personal gratification.
The thing that many people miss about Medusa is that she did not ask for her death. She was not one of the myriad monsters that marauded around Greece, killing people and stirring up trouble. She lived on a remote island with her two immortal sisters and only turned to stone those who were foolish enough to disturb her. In short, Perseus invaded her home and killed her without cause.
Caravaggio’s painting is one of the few pieces of art that illustrates this situation truthfully, showing us Medusa’s last moments as she would have experienced them if this were not a myth. It is a very truthful painting, I think. It’s important to bring attention to artwork like this.
Sorry if that put a damper on your morning, but in light of recent events, I think it’s good to talk about things like this. Remember that there have always been monsters made by men, and that a lot of the time they don’t deserve that designation. And whoever you are out there, you aren’t alone. There are others like you.
I’ll see you all next week, hopefully with more fun subject material, but thanks for listening to me rant. Until next time.
Grace's Place 