In Caravaggio’s Head of Medusa (1597), he has included several different moments of the story all wrapped up in one. We see the bodiless head of Medusa, who is convincingly viewing her own reflection in Perseus’ shield. This is the moment before Medusa’s decapitation and the moment after her decapitation combined. As one direct image, a horrific creature is in the moment of realizing both her hideousness as well her own mortality. By overlapping two different moments of the story, Caravaggio has created action that pushes the limits of representation.
Further, having painted the Head of Medusa on an actual 3-dimensional shield, Caravaggio has formed a direct relationship with the story. As the shield acts much more like a theatrical prop than as a painting, Caravaggio has created part of the story rather than representing it. This use of an object in his work only adds to the direct emotional response evoked from the painting, as it brings to life the story in a way that the Medusa story painted on a flat canvas could not. This shield bridges the gap between representation and reality.
References:
Marin, Louis (trans. Mette Hjort). To Destroy Painting. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994.
Art:
Uffizi, Florence
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