Artist: Rebecca Jensen
Title: Monstrous
Medium: Oil on panel
Size: 13" x 13" round (13.25"x19" framed)
Price: $2,200.00
Artist Statement:
Monstrous draws inspiration from the Medusa myth. The sea god Poseidon pursues the beautiful young Medusa before eventually seducing her in the temple of Athena. Athena, furious that her holy house has been defiled, turns Medusa’s hair into snakes in retribution. Medusa becomes a Gorgon, turning any who look upon her into stone. She retreats from society, living as a monster until her eventual beheading at the hands of a young hero. Medusa’s severed head becomes a tool to be wielded, and her body (pregnant at the time of her death by Poseidon) births creatures that are put to use in turn. This piece reflects on the objectification and dehumanization of Medusa, and the all too familiar horror inherent to her story.