A rare treasure is at the San Francisco Legion of Honor. On loan from the Musei Capitolini di Roma. Hidden away for a bit, the bust has been restored and is on a very limited tour.
Background on the Myth of Medusa
Ok here is the down and dirty on Medusa... one of three sisters, the only one that was mortal, she was charming and stunning, known and envied for her beautiful locks of blond hair, so beautiful in fact that it caused Neptune to get randy. He, being Neptune, sea god that almost always got what he wanted, tapped Medusa in the temple of Minerva [or Athena if you want to do a total Greek version, but the blog is about the work of Bernini the great Roman sculptor so I am going with the Roman incarnation]. This, of course, pissed off Minerva cause who wants Neptune/Medusa santorum on their clean marble alter? And, don't forget, that the most violent fight between any two gods was the one between Minne and Nep over who was going to be the #1 god of the new city Athens. These two's bitching and crying framed the dispute "I rule the ocean and this city is going to be a great harbor of goods and commerce, I should get Athens." and, "I'm all wise and artsy and men will soon care more about learning than shopping one day so I should rule Athens.". Jupiter finally had enough and said whoever made the best gift for the city would rule the city. Ole Neptune threw down a magnificent warhorse and Minerva an olive tree. Minerva won and a thusly-riled Neptune tapped a young blonds ass on Minerva's alter proving that the war of the sexes has been going on for a long long time. Important point, because, it is believed that at the time before Medusa got the good news that she no longer needed to buy conditioner, it was women who had always had control over the earth and were on top of the Sex War Leader Board... more on this after Africa gets smitten with poisonous snakes.
So Medusa is all pretty one day with men buying her drinks and sending drunk tablet chiselings to her at all times of the day and night [kind of like drunk texting but without the iPhone, email, or paper] and then one good fuck and she is condemned to guard the gates of hell from mere mortals trying to pass through the rear portals prematurely. She ran this super blitz by turning any man to stone who dared to hold her gaze. This went on forever and ever until Acrisius had a kid named Danae whom, it was foretold, would bear a son that would one day kill Acrisius. Well the old man didn't like those odds so he confines his daughter in a tower that has only a little window, but this is ancient times and the gods can see most everything so Zeus decides to rain down upon this room a shower of gold, and in this shower he transports himself for a little one on one time with the rich man's daughter. With the promise of marriage [which, come on it's Zeus, you know he's got game with the ladies and this is just his way to get his lightening bolt dipped, if you know what I mean] she ends up having a son. Papi Acrisius discovers the kid, and fast forward several years he is still all focused on, "that grandkid, Perseus, is going to kill me one day". Papi devises a plan. He insults Perseus who, in a fit, says, "Is that right old man, well, I am great enough that you pick any gift in the world and I will bring it to you." Trap set, old man asks for Medusa's head.... blah blah blah, trials and tribulations and then when he is near giving up Perseus is visited by Hermes. Hermes gives him his winged shoes [think more Birkenstocks than Blahniks] and Minerva, who probably is still feeling the sting of the temple insult, shows up and ponies up her shiny brass shield and tells the kid to use it to see the reflection of Medusa, not to look directly at her ugliness. They dump a couple of other goodies in his lap and he is then off again. He soon finds the entrance, but, Perseus waits for the Medusa and her sisters to be sleeping, then enters the lair, uses his tools, chops her off Medusa's head and puts it in a Bloomingdales big brown bag.
Fun Facts and Subjective Reasoning about this Myth
1. She may have her head cut off, but this does not impede the powers of Medusa. Perseus uses this power to his own ends, and then gives the lump-o-head, now a military tactical weapon, to Minerva who staples it onto the her shield and goes out to defeat the enemies of knowledge and reason.
2. After the de-cap, the kid places the head in a bag.... I am thinking burlap. I mean, what else are you going to have lying around that will be sturdy enough to hold a severed head with snakes? With today's bags, one carton of milk and a good bump and your goods are spread all over Safeway’s parking lot. Any Houser, while Perseus is flying over Africa, the bag holding the head has a malfunction and drops of blood start to leak landing upon the sands of Saharan Africa and infesting it with poisonous snakes.
3. Some suppose that the story of Perseus is a tale originating from a warrior who conquered the nation of women known as the Gorgon. Medusa and her sisters were Gorgons. This is also the historical apex where in some literatures it is written that men over took women as influencers of the known world. Perseus and Medusa's battle is the symbol of that power change. {Medusa, the name, translates to "sovereign female wisdom" Perseus, the name, translates to "Destroyer"}
4. Medusa is still alive and well in our modern folklore.... Matty Walker [Kathleen Turner in Body Heat]; Basic Instincts; the Postman Always Rings Twice; Cathy in East of Eden; Catwoman; Poison Ivy; Hell, even Roxy Hart.
5. The coolest character of all Greek mythology was birthed from the decapitation of Medusa.... Pegasus.
6. Harry Potter even borrowed some lore. One of the deadly hallows was the invisibility cloak. Perseus was given the invisibility cap and this is what he used to escape the lair when chased by the other two Gorgon sisters.
7. Athena [Greek version of Minerva] is credited for inventing the flute for the purpose of imitating the sound of the hissing that the snakes made when Medusa's head was parted from her neck.
The Baroque Period, which started in Rome at the dawn of the 1600's, was about larger than life works with great detail, which involved capturing big exaggerated motion. Bernini was known to use story or character transition as his movement. His greatest works involve he being the midwife capturing the moving of characters from one plane of life to their next.
The Stone Master Bernini
The Stone Master Bernini
Apollo and Daphne ~ Bernini chooses the moment of their story when Daphne has pleaded with her father and mother to make her ugly so Apollo will stop hunting her. Daddy does her bidding and this statue captures the transition of her becoming the laurel tree.
Bernini's David ~ A prime example of Bernini's transitional movement. David, as he is starting his deadly strike that will change not only his life, but the lives of his people as well.
And the happy lady herself.
Bernini uses the life defining moments of his subjects and then displays those heated malleable intimate transitional moments in the cold hard unmoving medium of marble.
Two Views Regarding this Representation
View 1:
Bernini created this piece when the new Pope thru him out with the old Pope's silk dresses. All upset with the public embarrassment of being out of courtly favor, he wanted to create some works that showed how powerful a master he had become. He looked for many angles, and in using the myth of Medusa, he was able to demonstrate a stark difference from other famous works on the familiar subject.
Berni worked the Medusa transition from the front end of the story not the back end. Instead of creating a piece about the ending of the monster, he created a piece about the birth of the monster. As we all know, Minerva not only went all "Super Cuts" on her hair, but she fucked Medusa's face up too. Bernini creates a bust between the moment of post-hair transformation and pre-facial distortion. His capture is the moment of Medusa's realization of what she has lost and the fear of what more she is to loose.
The style of the bust is not 100% usual Bernini. The snakes do not match the polished style of his other works. Remember, he was showing off his full set of skills and desired to push himself. The roughness of the serpents increases the drama.
View 2:
This is not a bust by Bernini. This is not a bust at all. Biovan Battista Marino writes some where around 1630 a poem about the piece. Part of that work reads:
"Non so se mi scolpi scarpel mortale, / o specchiando me stessa in chiaro vertro / la propria vista mia mi fece tale"
"I don't know if a mortal chisel sculpted me / or whether by looking at myself in clear glass / the very sight of myself made me this way."
I like to think that Perseus defeated Medusa, but not by skill and stealth, but by Medusa stoning herself while looking into Minerva's shield. Perseus was then able to chop her up, and claim victory. Whatever the truth, the work is fantastic, do yourself a favor and go take a look.
Happy New Year.
Referenced in this article
seducedbyhistory.blogspot.com
www.heartsthroughhistory.com
http://www.english.illinois.edu/maps/poets/a_f/bogan/medusamyth.htm
http://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Creatures/Medusa/medusa.html
http://www.webwinds.com/thalassa/medusa.htm
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