Early depictions of the gorgon Medusa - a monster from Greek mythology - show an ugly, winged woman with serpents entwined in her hair, bulging eyes, a wide grin, a protruding tongue, and boar tusks, among other frightening features. According to the myth, any man who met her gaze would immediately turn to stone. Beginning in the fifth century B.C., images of Medusa underwent a gradual transformation, changing from grotesque to beautiful.
In the fifth century B.C., the concept of ideal proportions of the human body took hold in Greek art. This idealization also affected how mythological beings were portrayed. For example, images of certain monsters-hybrid creatures having a woman's face and elements from the body of a beast, bird, or reptile-became more humanized and beautiful at this time.
Terracotta figurine of horse and rider from Cyprus, early 3rd century BC [Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art] |
The exhibition features the earliest depiction of the beautiful Medusa in Greek art along with two dozen examples of Medusa images on ancient Greek armor, drinking cups, funerary reliefs and urns, gold jewelry, and architectural elements, as well as Roman and Neoclassical cameos. Contemporary use of the beautiful Medusa is illustrated by three garments designed by Versace that incorporate the company's logo-a head of Medusa-into their designs. Due to the fragility of textiles, these garments will be rotated over the course of the exhibition, with only one displayed at a time.
Gold pendant in the form of a gorgoneion (Gorgon's face) from Cyprus, ca. 450 BC [Credit: The Metropolitan Museum of Art] |
The exhibition is organized by Kiki Karoglou, Associate Curator, Department of Greek and Roman Art.
Education programs will include an interdisciplinary talk, gallery talks, #Metkids, and Access programs.
A soundscape was composed for the exhibition by Austin Fisher, Associate Producer, Digital Department.
The exhibition is featured on The Met website, as well as on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.
A Bulletin will be published in conjunction with the exhibition. The publication will be available in The Met Store (paperback, $14.95).
The accompanying Bulletin is made possible in part by the Jenny Boondas Fund. The Met's quarterly Bulletin program is supported in part by the Lila Acheson Wallace Fund for The Metropolitan Museum of Art, established by the cofounder of Reader's Digest.
Source: Broadway World [February 09, 2018]