As he holds forth the head of Medusa at the heart of this spectacular picture in London's National Gallery, Perseus averts his gaze.Īrtists had already been imagining Medusa for millennia when this powerful scene was painted. This is the moment Luca Giordano chose to show in the 1680s in a baroque painting whose fascination lies in the way flesh turns to stone before our eyes. Later, at his wedding, he fought off a violent mob by unveiling the head and turning his enemies to stone. How can you kill such a being? The Greek hero Perseus used a shiny shield as a mirror so he only saw a reflection as he sliced off her serpent-swathed head and stuffed it in a sack. She was so malevolent that just looking at her turned people to stone. Medusa was, in ancient Greek myth, one of the Gorgons, three monstrous sisters with magical powers.
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