I imagine most people are familiar with Caravaggio's Head of Medusa (1597), which I was fortunate enough to view in person on a recent trip to Florence.
Serving as the grisly emblem of a ceremonial shield, Caravaggio depicts Medusa's severed head in the way most people might imagine it -- the wide-open eyes and mouth frozen in shock, the blood dripping from the neck, the serpents still writhing on the otherwise dispatched head.
Horrified facial expression and snake-hair aside, the face of Caravaggio's Medusa is about as "pretty" as one could expect a Gorgon face to be. Not all that attractive, but not terrifyingly repulsive either.
Moreover, there is nothing in the eyes to indicate that you will turn to stone upon looking into them.
Serving as the grisly emblem of a ceremonial shield, Caravaggio depicts Medusa's severed head in the way most people might imagine it -- the wide-open eyes and mouth frozen in shock, the blood dripping from the neck, the serpents still writhing on the otherwise dispatched head.
Horrified facial expression and snake-hair aside, the face of Caravaggio's Medusa is about as "pretty" as one could expect a Gorgon face to be. Not all that attractive, but not terrifyingly repulsive either.
Moreover, there is nothing in the eyes to indicate that you will turn to stone upon looking into them.
Franz von Stuck employs a more ethereal approach in his take on mythological monster.
His Head of Medusa (1892) depicts the Gorgon as an ideal, almost otherworldly beauty with a smooth, unblemished alabaster face.
The snakes are still there but not readily detectable (it almost looks like Medusa is simply wearing a hood).
All the same, you can detect the danger and evil.
His Head of Medusa (1892) depicts the Gorgon as an ideal, almost otherworldly beauty with a smooth, unblemished alabaster face.
The snakes are still there but not readily detectable (it almost looks like Medusa is simply wearing a hood).
All the same, you can detect the danger and evil.
And those eyes! The penetrating intensity of those almost translucent green-yellow irises with their pinprick pupils focused directly on you and only you.
Eyes you can't avoid looking into, no matter how hard you try, no matter what the consequences.
You can almost feel yourself turning into stone as you look into them.
Eyes you can't avoid looking into, no matter how hard you try, no matter what the consequences.
You can almost feel yourself turning into stone as you look into them.
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