My prior Art posts can be found HERE.
How do we move away from being a civilization that produces art that causes comments like, “my five year old could make this,” back to being one that creates beauty and inspires deep questions? We must reject modernity and embrace tradition. To embrace tradition, we must first learn about it..
Let’s study art history together.
Head of Medusa
| Artist | Franz von Stuck |
|---|---|
| Year | 1892 |
| Medium | Oil on canvas |
| Movement | Symbolism |
| Dimensions | 26.5 cm x 32.5 cm |
| Location | private collection |
This is considered to be one of the most disturbing paintings of all time. The artist had a bit of a habit of creating works such as this one, though. Stuck was famous in the early 20th century as a painter of mythological or religious scenes, and imbuing them with a sense of danger. This work has been described by many as creating a feeling that its eyes are alive and watching you. Carl Jung described his work in the following way:
… Franz Stuck, whose snake-pictures bear significant titles like Vice, Sin, or Lust (see plate x). The mixture of anxiety and lust is perfectly expressed in the sultry atmosphere of these pictures,…
You see a bit of that in this piece. If you can get beyond her creepy eyes, the rest of her face might be beautiful. But of course, that’s not possible. Stuck’s approach to this painting was quite different from the traditional approach to depicting Medusa in art. usually the focus is on the snakes. Here though, you almost don’t notice them. The viewer’s eyes are draw immediately to her eyes. There’s something to dread in that gaze – both for you as the viewer but also for her. There’s a chilling vacancy in her eyes.
The mythology of Medusa is that she’s a woman with snakes coming out of her head, who turned to stone anyone who looks into her eyes. In the myth, eventually Perseus defeats Medusa using a mirrored shield. He then cuts off her head for good measure.
Perhaps we’d feel more comfortable with Medusa were her head less attached to her body.
