Vincent Sabatier (VerSus), Versace roboclusion silkscreen, 2019. Serigraphy on paper, 70 x 50 cm.
The Medusa: the peculiarities of the Gorgon attributed to television.
"Television is that insidious beast, that Medusa capable of paralyzing a billion people with eyes wide open every night, that siren that sings, calls and entices, promising so much and ultimately conceding so little."
The words of Ray Bradbury, U.S. writer and screenwriter, make topical the peculiarities of the Gorgon myth, associating her, in a somewhat novel and imaginative way, with the modern, "demonic" powers of television, a tool capable of petrifying the masses into dangerously passive contemplation. In the past, on the other hand, Medusa was a character so ingrained in popular culture that there was no need to adapt him to the symbols of a particular historical context in order to make him more attractive. In fact, there have been many masterpieces in art history that have "merely" faithfully reproduced the story of the Gorgon, simply enhancing ever-changing moments of her tale. In order to introduce the figurative cult, which, over the centuries, has concerned the aforementioned, it is good to briefly illustrate its myth, so as to make the subsequent analysis of the masterpieces more accessible, clear and straightforward. According to the Greek tale, Medusa, sister of the Gorgons Steno and Euryale, was initially a beautiful girl, so much so that she became the object of the attentions of the Olympian god of the sea Poseidon, who seduced her in the temple of Athena. Precisely in this context it seems that, the Gorgon, in addition to defiling the sacred place with intercourse, hid her face, probably with vanity intent, behind an aegis of the aforementioned goddess. Consequently, Athena decided to respond to the affront by transforming the girl's beautiful hair into a tangle of poisonous vipers, aimed at surrounding a now monstrous face, whose gaze was capable of petrifying every living creature. This new version of Medusa, forced to live in solitude in a cavernous cavern, would end her existence at the hands of Perseus, hero who managed to decapitate her.
Dmitriy Trubin, My beautiful Gorgon. Painting, sizes are available upon request.
Dags Vidulejs, Bible snake kiss Gorgona, 2020. Oil / lacquer on linen canvas, 74 x 50 cm.
The Medusa: Rubens VS Canova
On the subject of art history, a masterpiece that depicts the jellyfish, just after being decapitated, focusing exclusively on the head deprived of its body, is the painting made in about 1617 by Pieter Paul Rubens, entitled the Head of Medusa. In particular, such work immortalizes the woman's face caught in an expression, intended to add at the disbelief of the defeat to physical suffering, feelings that find a place in a rocky context, where earthy colors highlight the living blood, from which crawling life forms continue to generate. This terrifying context is enriched by the careful execution of the woman's hair, which, consisting of snakes aimed at interlocking with restlessness, they create intricate and disturbing tangles. Such detailed and careful treatment of the subject is certainly aided by a close-up shot of the Medusa, which is captured by a side perspective with a rectangular shape and horizontal development, capable of capturing, both the part devoted purely to the face, and that finely focused on the movement of the reptiles. Finally, it is good to make known how in this specific work, the depiction of the Gorgon was functional to the artist, in order to promote the triumph from Stoic reason above any other point of view. Another masterpiece that provides us with a further narrative, and consequently figurative, interpretation of the Medusa myth is Antonio Canova's Perseus Triumphant, a sculpture of about 1797, aimed at casting attention on the heroic gesture of the young man, rather than focusing exclusively on the inhuman nature of the Gorgon. In fact, Canova depicted the victorious Perseus, who, proudly naked like the classical Greek heroes, clutches the head of Medusa by the hair in order to display it as a precious trophy, in a gesture capable of synthesizing the event of maximum pathos of the myth. Finally, a noteworthy detail of the work is the fact that the hero, despite the fact that he should not have looked into the eyes of the Gorgon, in order not to be turned into stone, has instead been immortalized while staring intensely at the latter, just as if Canova wanted us to guess, that the sculpture is precisely the result of actual petrification.
Art De Noé, Medusa, 2019. Ink on paper, 29.7 x 21 cm. 
Joe Baxxter, The Medusa, 2021. Digital painting, acrylic, pigments, glass, resin, digital print on aluminum, 90 x 90 cm.
The Medusa in art history: from antiquity to the present.
From an art-historical perspective, the oldest depictions of the Medusa date back to the 8th century B.C., when, on the roofs of Greek and Etruscan temples, her monstrous figure was used as an antefix in order to control and protect sacred buildings. In addition, the Gorgon also appeared in other artistic manifestations of the time, being frequently painted on ceramic vessels, which depicted her, either as an isolated figure or as the protagonist of myth scenes. Later, and more precisely during the Roman period, Medusa's face softened strongly, so much so that the frightening monster began to take on more feminine features, despite the permanence of the typical and frightening snake hair. During the Middle Ages, however, the Gorgon's popularity, like that of all other myths, was sidelined, returning with force only from the Renaissance onward, just as the masterpieces of Benvenuto Cellini, Caravaggio, Gian Lorenzo Bernini, Arnold Böcklin, Fernand Khnopff, and Gustav Klimt demonstrate. The fascination with Medusa continues to manifest itself richly in the contemporary world as well, so much so that the works of Artmajeur artists such as Vincent Bardou, Frank Ford and Paul Stowe can be taken as examples of this trend.
Vincent Bardou, Medusa, 2022. Acrylic / spray on canvas, 150 x 150 cm.
Vincent Bardou: Medusa
Vincent Bardou's Medusa appears to be a modern reinterpretation of the iconic logo of the well-known Italian fashion house Versace, which, having as its subject the Gorgon, was conceived by Gianni in 1993 with the premise of symbolizing the Maison's connection to the designer's Calabrian origins. In fact, it was in Reggio Calabria, Versace's homeland, that a marble head depicting the Medusa was found, which Gianni was lucky enough to admire when he was still a child. In addition, the designer, who has always been in love with Greek mythology, decided to use the face of the Gorgon pursuing the intention of sending a clear message: the Versace fashion, like the Medusa, petrifies, since, like a classical work of art, it literally enchants anyone who observes it! Speaking of style, Bardou's Gorgon, just like Gianni's, is inscribed in a circular frame of typical Greek meanders, giving the myth features akin to ancient coins or shield effigies. Unlike the Artmajeur artist's work, however, Versace's Medusa is visibly Hellenistic-inspired, as it is known to represent a remake of the Medusa Rondanini, a marble statue depicting the head of the Gorgon, now housed in the Glyptoteca in Munich, Germany.
Frank Ford, Medusa, 2017. 3D modeling on aluminum, 39.4 x 33 cm.
Frank Ford: Medusa
Frank Ford's 3D modeling on aluminum demonstrates how, despite the advancement of art technologies, the subjects investigated are often the same, especially when it comes to iconic characters such as Medusa. In addition to the subject, however, its mode of depiction also turns out to be quite usual, as the genre of the bust, of which Ford's Medusa represents an interpretation, can also be found in the art of the past, as, for example, in Gian Lorenzo Bernini's well-known Gorgone, a marble sculpture from around 1644. In addition, apart from subject and genre, the Artmajeur artist's Medusa, just like that of the Italian master, is also characterized by its humanization and expressiveness, as well as its strong dynamism, inherent in the nervous movement of the snake hair. Finally, the two versions also present the same interpretation of the Gorgon's somatic features, which, rather feminine and not very deformed and monstrous, make us think of an afflicted attitude perhaps no longer due to the realization of her inhuman transformation.
Paul Stowe, Perseus with the head of Medusa by Cellini, 2019. Drawing, graphite / pencil on paper, 40 x 50 cm.
Paul Stowe: Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Cellini.
Paul Stowe's hyperrealism brings to life, in the "half-bust" format, one of the most popular masterpieces in art history, usable in one of the world's best-known public spaces: the Loggia dei Lanzi, in Piazza della Signoria in Florence, Italy. The work in question is Benvenuto Cellini's bronze sculpture, namely Perseus, which, commissioned from the great Italian master by Cosimo I de' Medici, was expressly conceived for the location in which it stands to this day. Speaking of the subject, said statue depicts the aforementioned mythological hero, who, just after succeeding in the feat of slaying Medusa, appears standing naked on the bust of the Gorgon, while holding a sword with his right hand and, with his left, raising the woman's severed head. Despite his victory and regal bearing, Perseus seems to stare into the void, just like a victorious hero, but, at the same time, fundamentally sad and alone in his endeavor. Finally, reporting an anecdote about the sculpture, it is possible to see, in the back of the hero's helmet, a self-portrait of Cellini, who turns into the spectator of one of the most famous myths ever.
Olimpia Gaia Martinelli
