Medusa (Caravaggio): Difference between revisions
== Subject matter ==
== Subject matter ==
The painting depicts the severed head of Medusa, a figure from Greek myth. Medusa was once a human woman, but the goddess [[Athena]] cursed her to live as a [[Gorgon|monster]] after [[Poseidon|a god]] had sex with her in one of Athena’s temples. Her hair was turned to snakes, and anybody who looked at her would be turned to stone.{{Cite web |title=Medusa: The Real Story of the Snake-Haired Gorgon |url=https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html |access-date=19 March 2019 |website=Greek Mythology}} [[Perseus]], the demigod child of [[Zeus]], eventually decapitated Medusa using gifts from the gods.{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Perseus-Greek-mythology|title=Perseus Greek Mythology|last=Britannica, inc.|first=Encyclopædia|date=14 Feb 2019|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=19 March 2019}}
The painting depicts the severed head of Medusa, a figure from Greek myth. Medusa was once a human woman, but the goddess [[Athena]] cursed her to live as a [[Gorgon|monster]] after Poseidon with her in one of Athena’s temples. Her hair was turned to snakes, and anybody who looked at her would be turned to stone.{{Cite web |title=Medusa: The Real Story of the Snake-Haired Gorgon |url=https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html |access-date=19 March 2019 |website=Greek Mythology}} [[Perseus]], the demigod child of [[Zeus]], eventually decapitated Medusa using gifts from the gods.{{Cite web|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Perseus-Greek-mythology|title=Perseus Greek Mythology|last=Britannica, inc.|first=Encyclopædia|date=14 Feb 2019|website=Encyclopædia Britannica|access-date=19 March 2019}}
Caravaggio replaced Medusa’s face with his own, allowing him to position himself as being immune to her fatal gaze.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecollector.com/why-did-caravaggio-paint-medusa/|title=Why Did Caravaggio Paint Medusa?|website=The Collector|access-date=6 December 2022}} Though the head is decapitated, it still appears conscious, with the painting capturing its final moments before death.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/jan/25/art|title=Medusa, Caravaggio (c 1598)|last=Jones|first=Jonathan|date=24 Jan 2003|website=The Guardian|access-date=18 March 2019}} The face’s eyes are widened, and its brows are creased; its mouth hangs open. Blood pours out of the severed neck.
Caravaggio replaced Medusa’s face with his own, allowing him to position himself as being immune to her fatal gaze.{{Cite web|url=https://www.thecollector.com/why-did-caravaggio-paint-medusa/|title=Why Did Caravaggio Paint Medusa?|website=The Collector|access-date=6 December 2022}} Though the head is decapitated, it still appears conscious, with the painting capturing its final moments before death.{{Cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2003/jan/25/art|title=Medusa, Caravaggio (c 1598)|last=Jones|first=Jonathan|date=24 Jan 2003|website=The Guardian|access-date=18 March 2019}} The face’s eyes are widened, and its brows are creased; its mouth hangs open. Blood pours out of the severed neck.
Painting by Caravaggio
| Medusa | |
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| Artist | Caravaggio |
| Year | 1597 |
| Type | Oil on canvas mounted on wood |
| Dimensions | 60 cm × 55 cm (24 in × 22 in) |
| Location | Uffizi, Florence |
Two versions of Medusa were created by Michelangelo Merisi da Caravaggio, one in 1596 and the other in ca. 1597. Both depict the moment from Greek mythology in which the Gorgon Medusa is killed by the demigod Perseus, but the Medusas are also self-portraits. Due to its bizarre and intricate design, the painting is said to display Caravaggio’s unique fascination with violence and realism. The Medusa was commissioned by the Italian diplomat Francesco Maria del Monte, who planned to gift the commemorative shield to Ferdinando I de’ Medici and have it placed in the Medici collection.[1] It is now located in the Uffizi Museum in Florence without signature.
History[edit]
In the 1590s, Caravaggio was working in Rome, and his success and wealth were increasing. However, the time in which he painted the two versions of the Medusa was characterized by several run-ins with the law. In July 1597, Caravaggio and his partner Prospero Orsi became involved as witnesses in a crime that occurred near San Luigi de’ Francesi. In one instance, a barber named Luca gave a testimony about Caravaggio where he provided a description regarding his mysterious attire:
“This painter is a stocky young man…with a thin black beard, thick eyebrows and black eyes, who goes dressed all in black, in a rather disorderly fashion, wearing black hose that is a little bit threadbare, and who has a thick head of hair, long over his forehead.“[2]
At the time, there was an unsolved case in which two items were reported as being missing—a dark cloak and a small dagger.[2]…
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