Medusa in the Renaissance
Many Renaissance artists, including Caravaggio, and Cellini focused specifically on the decapitated head of Medusa. This was a time period which marked the transition from Medusa as alive and threatening to decapitated and not a fearful monster. The Renaissance also emphasized the fascination with the monster(Kaplan).
In this oil painting, Michelangelo Caravaggio focuses on the decapitated head of Medusa. Although her head is decapitated and she is dead, his painting shows that she is indeed conscious, a contradiction that can be seen as Caravaggio's fascination. Caravaggio including the blood that gushes out of her neck to emphasize the Renaissance focusing on Medusa's decapitation.
This painting shows that, even posthumously, she was able to petrify those who stared at her. Caravaggio wanted to depict a mixture of the life and death that the decapitated Medusa had. According to Caravaggio, before she was decapitated Medusa thought herself to be invincible, which suggests that she is eternal. However, it is the shocked expression on her face and the fact that she is looking away from the viewer and in shock which suggests that she is dead("Art & Paintings").
Even other Renaissance artists such as Cellini portrayed this decapitated Medusa in some form of fascination. In his sculpture, Perseus is shown holding Medusa after he had beheaded her. Just as Caravaggio did, Cellini made this decapitated Medusa seem powerless. By sculpting Medusa as looking downward and with her eyes closed, Perseus is a symbol of victory and Medusa is depicted as not threatening, but powerless.