Medusa with the Head of Perseus

In recent days, a sculpture "Medusa with the Head of Perseus" (Medusa with the Head of Perseus), which is highly praised by feminists, has been circulated on the Internet. The theme is Medusa (Medusa) in Greek mythology. Carrying the head of Perseus. In Greek mythology, Perseus is the hero who killed Medusa.

After searching online information, we can know that this sculpture was actually made in 2008 by an Argentinian male sculptor, Luciano Garbati. In other words, the current moment when this work was created may not be directly related to #Metoo, which was widely circulated on social media in 2017 (although this movement had appeared as early as 2006, it did not become a popular Hashtag movement at that time ). By 2018, Garbati shared the resin model of this work on his IG, which caused a lot of heated discussions and sharing, and merged with the raging #Metoo, becoming a symbol of feminism.

The sculpture "Medusa and the Head of Perseus" has recently attracted attention because this work was moved to Collect Pond Park in New York this year. The angry Medusa is opposite the sex trial of Hollywood producer Weinstein. The court where the rape case (the incident that made #Metoo popular) has a strong sense of feminist power, both in terms of theme and spatial arrangement.

Interestingly, there are also many feminists who criticize "why it was made by a 'male' and 'white' sculptor" and "why there is no pubic hair on the statue (apparently they don't understand that shaving pubic hair is a tradition in classical sculpture)", "If you want to give women power, this Medusa looks too thin and more like a male fantasy product", and "Why was Perseus the one who was beheaded and not the real perpetrator, Poseidon, the god of the sea?" Related discussions such as this have been reported by foreign media, and Chinese media such as the Earth Atlas Team Intelligence Headquarters have also written relevant articles. The fifth chapter will not comment here.

From the perspective of art history, this work pays homage to the famous work "Perseus with the Head of Medusa" (circa 1545) by the European Renaissance artist Benvenuto Cellini. -1554). Cellini's Perseus held up Medusa's head with declarative body language, symbolizing the dominance and majesty of the Medici family in Florence, Italy at that time. Medusa of Garbati held Perseus's head in her right hand without raising it, glaring at the audience (or the court) in front of her with a fierce gaze like a warning.

The production and display of public sculptures have been closely related to political power since ancient times. Putting aside the many controversies and discussions caused by "Medusa and the Head of Perseus", the fact that this work can be displayed opposite the court representing judicial justice obviously symbolizes that the liberal atmosphere of society can allow more diversity. Let’s discuss and give your opinions. What are your thoughts on this work?

※Report by Earth Atlas Team:

https://dq.yam.com/post.php?id=13098&utm_source=rssphp&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=rss

※By the way, if you go to the artist’s official website, you can also see the Medusa peripheral products he sells.

https://www.mwthproject.com/editions