Research Entry #4
Reimagining Medusa For centuries, art has portrayed Medusa as the ultimate symbol of monstrous evil. She is the snake-haired Gorgon whose gaze turns men to stone. She is meant to evoke terror, disgust, and even a necessity for patriarchal violence. She is rarely seen as a woman. Instead, she is a creature to be slain. When we take a closer look at her mythology, we see that Medusa is possibly the most tragic and misunderstood figure in Greek history. She is a victim turned villain. The Demonization of Medusa The most striking depiction of Medusa as hideous and monstrous is Caravaggio’s 1597 painting, Medusa. Caravaggio captures the exact moment that she is decapitated by Perseus. Her eyes are wide with shock, her mouth is frozen in a silent scream, and her head is surrounded by a chaotic tangle of hissing snakes. The violence is apparent in every detail, including the blood gushing from her neck. This depiction, and many like it, is about singling out a woman who refused to conform to ...