The myth of Medea, the legendary princess, sorceress, herbalist and founder of medicine from western Georgian Colchis, became very popular in painting, and many artists tried to reflect their vision of such a remarkable person. And there is nothing surprising in this, it is enough to know the plot of the myth.
Jean-François de Troy: Jason Taming the Bulls of Aeetes. 1742
She fell passionately in love with Jason, the leader of the Argonauts. With Medea's help, he managed to obtain the golden fleece and pass the almost impossible tests that her father, King Eetus of Colchis, had devised. After putting the dragon to sleep with a decoction of special herbs collected by Medea and taking the golden fleece, Jason, Medea and the Argonauts left Colchis.
Herbert James Draper: "The Golden Fleece"
Medea took her younger brother Apskirt aboard the ship as a safety net. And then the real villainy begins: seeing that King Aeetus was catching up with their ship, Medea dismembered her brother and scattered the pieces of his body in the water. Aeetus had to stay behind and collect them for a proper burial.
Anselm Feuerbach: Medea at the Urn. 1873
After marrying Jason, Medea sailed with the Argonauts to Greece. Arriving in the ancient Greek city of Iolcus, the final destination of the Argonauts' journey, Jason hoped for the throne for the Golden Fleece, but his uncle Pelias did not want to give up power so easily. Medea had to intervene again: she persuaded Pelias' daughters to kill their elderly father so that the sorceress could later resurrect him as a young man.
John Downman: An Episode from the Story of Jason and Medea.
Medea's daughters believed her, but in vain: there was no resurrection in sight. They and their entourage were so angry that Jason and Medea had to flee to Corinth. When Jason tried to marry Hlavka, the daughter of the king of Corinth, Medea, in a fit of anger, killed her two sons by Jason, and sent her rival a luxurious poisoned peplos as a gift - the upper garment worn by women in ancient Greece and Rome.
John William Waterhouse: Jason and Medea
In general, the character is, to put it mildly, ambiguous: a true embodiment of female perfidy. Medea is a femme fatale, living her passions and stopping at nothing to achieve her goals, and her unconditional gifts and skill in sorcery allow her both to cause a lot of trouble and to benefit those she favors.
Frederick Sandys. Medea
Various artists have depicted Medea on a number of occasions. One of the most notable paintings was painted by Frederick Sandys in 1868. He expected this painting to be presented at the 1868 Summer Salon, but the Royal Academy of Arts was against it, although they recognized the painting as a quality painting. It is all about too contradictory personality Medea, and in their opinion, the artist sympathizes with her, depicted not some evil sorceress, but in her own way attractive lady, who if she does some evil sorcery, she has substantial reasons for it. But on the other hand, it gave rise to a certain freedom in the interpretation of Medea's personality: whether all her evil deeds were caused by the situation, passions and a certain darkness of reason or it is a cold-blooded and calculated plan to achieve their goals. That is, she is still a real witch, or a woman witch living her passions, to whom nothing human is alien.
Jean-François de Troy. Jason swears eternal love to Medea
Many artists leaned towards the second option, for example, Jean-François de Troyes in his painting depicted Medea as a completely ordinary girl in love. However, most still did not miss the opportunity to show that she is a real sorceress and can do impressive magic, otherwise why even address such a peculiar character?
Evelyn De Morgan: Medea. 1889
The myth of Medea gained new popularity in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. The playwright Pierre Corneille translated it and reworked it for his contemporaries based on the tests of Euripides and Seneca. Plays and operas were staged about Medea, and artists did not miss the opportunity to portray her in their paintings. For example, Artemisia Gentileschi depicted Medea at the moment of her most terrible act - the murder of her own children.
Artemisia Gentileschi. Medea. 1620
However, Gentileschi often favored violent subjects, and for good reason. You can read about how she took revenge on a rapist in her paintings in the article at the link. The painting belongs to a private person, who does not want to put it on public display, so that viewers know about it only from the description and not too high quality photo. This is to the question of whether it is legitimate to sell masterpieces of old masters at all.
Henry Ferguson. Medea Casts a Spell Among the Ruined Sculptures
Medea was also depicted by artist Henry Ferguson, who did not miss the opportunity to add a bit of nude, emphasizing the image of the fatal seductress. And the snake in the background clearly makes it clear that Medea is related to the darkest witchcraft.
Corrado Giaquinto. Medea
Italian artist Corrado Giaquinto, as well as Gentileschi, depicted Medea after committing her most terrible crime, and at the same time painted a wand in her hand, suspiciously reminiscent of the one in the Harry Potter series of books and movies. The idea of magic wands appeared a long time ago, and J.K. Rowling was hardly original. He wrote Medea the moment of doing a good deed, akin to a real miracle - rejuvenating the father of his beloved Aeson.
Corrado Giaquinto. Medea Rejuvenating Aeson
Medea was ready to go to fire and water for her own, and could really do incredible things. She was the kind of woman with whom it was highly desirable to maintain a good relationship.
Valentine Cameron Prinsep. Medea the Enchantress
In the 19th century, artists began to focus on Medea's dual nature: an evil sorceress and a caring mother. It is precisely her second hypostasis that is depicted in Henri Klagman's painting.
Henri Klagman: Medea
But still, artists were more interested in extreme manifestations of human feelings than in calm ordinariness. One of the most famous paintings of Medea was painted by Delacroix, and here he was not original in choosing a suitable moment from her busy life.
Eugene Delacroix. The Enraged Medea
But even at this moment she is still tormented by doubts. Medea is madly angry at her husband for daring to leave her with the children, but at the same time, even such unaccountable rage cannot overcome her maternal instinct. It is a pity, though, that her anger at her husband and at the world is stronger.
Anselm Feuerbach: Medea. 1870
But the artist Anselm Feuerbach depicted Medea as a caring mother and faithful wife, who watches with longing as Jason and the Argonauts set off on their journey. Medea does not resemble a sorceress at all, and the very idea that she might kill her children in anger for revenge seems absurd. It doesn't fit the myth, but every artist has his own vision.
Georges Moreau de Tours. The Murder of Pelias by His Daughters
One of the most tragic episodes of the Medea myth was depicted by the artist Georges Moreau. This time it is the consequence of Medea's insidious intrigues, which caused the daughters of Pelias to commit a terrible crime. Indeed, blind faith can be very dangerous.
The story of Medea has stood the test of time, and in all centuries served as the basis for many works of art. And the image of a fatal beauty and treacherous seductress, not stopping at any crime, and not forgiving betrayal, will surely always be interesting and instructive.
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