Stephani Stephenson on tue 29 jan 02
I want to say thank you to ALL of the folks who are giving feedback and
sharing observations on the
"Medusa Fountain" question, both on list and off list.. Talk about
amazing. What an incredibly resourceful group of people
You have given me invaluable , excellent web resources , from graduate
papers written on Medusa to images of her which I was unable to find in
my own search of the web as well as local searches of libraries and
bookstores . The resources I had come across were sparse in comparison
to what CLAYART people sent to me. It is going to take me a few days to
digest all this incredible information.
But what is so much appreciated are the personal perspectives you have
offered, from your own perceptions of the Medusa figure/myth/ persona
to ideas about how to portray her in the fountain. This has been so
important , so helpful for me to hear, as I bring my own view into
sharper focus.
This has got to be CLAYART at it's best. Someone working in an isolated
studio encounters a challenge, need to exchange some ideas, answer some
questions, reaches out and receives the most excellent and intelligent
input.
Some of the material has really provided a more in depth look at the
Greek myth itself , while other info describes the transition of Medusa
from ancient pre-Greek roots to the Greek interpretation.
She is a most complex lady . I think it interesting too that her
'power' to turn men to stone did not stop upon her slaying. Perseus her
slayer went on to use her severed head , the destructive aspect of her
power to his own advantage, by turning his enemies to stone, (until he
inadvertently turned friends to stone). Her countenance was used as the
aegis, and she seems to have become an ally and a protector in the
process. One source says Pegasus arose from the regenerative powers of
her blood.
It seems evident there was a conjunction of female figures: older
gorgon figures, myths, goddesses of power ,beauty, death, regeneration,
all twining into Medusa. Certainly even today the emotional/
psychological content of her persona is far from middle of the road.
TO answer Paul's most recent question... yes the image has really
strayed pretty far from 'ugly. I think in my heart I knew that it would
, though the 'beauty /ugly' question is quite central to cultural
interpretations of her through the ages, I think.
Interestingly, it is the surface layers , the abridged version of the
Medusa character which use words like frightful, hideous, ugly.
Bullfinches Mythology describes "a cruel monster of so frightful an
aspect that no living thing could behold her without being turned into
stone. All around the cavern where she dwelt might be seen the stony
figures of men and animals which had chanced to catch a glimpse of her
and had been petrified with the sight" . I think the word petrified is
perfect in this case.
Yet under the surface , so many questions. Is fear or hatred, like
beauty, in the eye of the beholder? Her gaze could not turn one to
stone unless one met her eyes with their own .The eyes had to connect
and this is quite an intriguing aspect of the mystery. In fact the whole
persona of Medusa is fascinating , too much for me to express here as I
am still processing my thoughts.
I believe I am fortunate in that the fountain will have two opposing
faces, and I think will use this to advantage to portray two aspects of
her very complex nature...
I think the question really, as the artist, is about deciding what and
how to portray facial expression with regard to emotional/psychic
content, as well as the handling of the snakes in the composition. the
existing images of Medusa, from antiquity to modern ages, vary so
widely:
sounds like some of you who wrote have an interest her, so here are
some of the links which were sent to me off list.
Thank you Diane, Karin, Valice, Carolsan, Millie, Bonnie, Tommy, Penny,
Cindy, Janet, Paul, Diane, Jeffrey, and hope I didn't leave anyone out!
I will snap a photo of the fountain as it takes shape! Built a wooden
archway, frame for it this weekend......will soon begin to add clay.
sincerely
Stephani.
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/English295/albright/main1.htm
http://www.vanderbilt.edu/AnS/english/English295/albright/intro.htm
http://www.indiana.edu/~anclife/gallery.html daily life of women in
classical Greece
http://www.mythinglinks.org/euro~west~greece~Medusa.html
http://www.webcom.com/shownet/bulfinch/fables/bull15.html
http://library.thinkquest.org/18650/data/text/tmonstermenu.html?tqskip1=1&tq
http://eekman.com/virtual_gallery/sculptures/gorgon.shtml
http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/classes/finALp.html this is a great
article!!!!
also click on Google .com, click on 'images', type in 'Medusa'
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