Getty Museum
Perseus Confronting Phineus with the Head of Medusa
Creator
Sebastiano RicciItalian Artist · 1659–1734
All works by this person →One of the principal figures in the revival of Venetian painting in the 1700s, Sebastiano Ricci's dramatic and sumptuous work appealed to ecclesiastical and royal patrons across Europe. Ricci's painting was indebted both to Paolo Veronese and other Italian painters of the 1500s and looked ahead to the next generation of Venetian artists including Giambattista Tiepolo and Antonio Guardi. Ricci bega
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- about 1705–1710
- Medium
- Oil on canvas
- Culture
- Italian
- Department
- Paintings
- Institution
- Getty Museum
In Greek mythology, the hero Perseus was famous for killing Medusa, the snake-haired Gorgon whose grotesque appearance turned men to stone. This painting, however, shows a later episode from the hero's life. At Perseus's and Andromeda's wedding, their nuptials were interrupted by a mob led by Phineus, a disappointed suitor. After a fierce battle, Perseus finally triumphed by brandishing the head of Medusa and turning his opponents into stone. Sebastiano Ricci depicted the fight as a forceful, vigorous battle. In the center, Perseus lunges forward, his muscles taut as he shoves the head of Medusa at Phineus and his men. One man holds up a shield, trying to reflect the horrendous image and almost losing his balance. Behind him, soldiers already turned to stone are frozen in mid-attack. All around, other men have fallen and are dead or dying. Ricci used strong diagonals and active poses to suggest energetic movement.
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