Archival print on Ultra Premium Presentation Matte paper
"Medusa" Print - Gorgon Drawing
Pen & Ink Illustration
 
I was inspired to create this piece due to my love for Greek mythology. Most people are familiar with the story of "Perseus the Hero" beheading "Medusa the Monster" as part of his quests. The stories often portray Medusa as a monstrous beast, turned so by Athena after she had laid with Poseidon, thereby breaking her vows to Athena.
 
However, there is a lesser-known version of this story in which Poseidon rapes the beautiful maiden Medusa and so the Goddess Athena curses her with this form as a punishment. However, this "punishment" protected Medusa as it took away her physical beauty which men coveted, and protected her from them as any man who looked at her would be turned to stone, rendering him powerless to harm her.
 
I found this version to make so much more sense as Athena is not the spiteful kind of goddess that would punish her own follower for being assaulted by a male god. I wanted to portray a version of Medusa that showed her sadness and grief rather than just her anger and rage. I also chose to draw her made of stone to show physical cracks that represent some of the damage done to her. I filled the cracks with gold, like with "Kintsugi", the Japanese art of repairing broken pottery by mending the areas of breakage with gold. I wanted to show that despite all of the pain and grief that Medusa endured, it did not mean that she was broken or lesser, especially in the context of sexual assault.
 
Available sizes (inches):
8x10
9x12
11x14
16x20