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Medusa

A work made of colored pencils and wax crayons, with pen and blue ink, brush and gold paint and blue gouache, over graphite, on yellow wove paper, laid down on white card (a modern mount).

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  • A work made of colored pencils and wax crayons, with pen and blue ink, brush and gold paint and blue gouache, over graphite, on yellow wove paper, laid down on white card (a modern mount).

Date:

1893

Artist:

Jean Delville
Belgian, 1867-1953

About this artwork

A prolific writer, poet, and artist, Jean Delville was a leading figure of the Idealist branch of Belgian Symbolism, intent on painting visionary ideas instead of images inspired by the real world. Here, he depicted Medusa, a figure from Greek mythology often described as having venomous snakes for hair. According to myth, those who gazed into Medusa’s eyes turned to stone. In Delville’s drawing, Medusa’s hypnotic eyes stare out from a web of sinuous liquids, serpents, smoke, and a blue veil that partially obscures her face.

Status

Currently Off View

Department

Prints and Drawings

Artist

Jean Delville

Title

Medusa

Place

Belgium (Artist's nationality:)

Date  Dates are not always precisely known, but the Art Institute strives to present this information as consistently and legibly as possible. Dates may be represented as a range that spans decades, centuries, dynasties, or periods and may include qualifiers such as c. (circa) or BCE.

Made 1893

Medium

Colored pencils and wax crayons, with pen and blue ink, brush and gold paint and blue gouache, over graphite, on yellow wove paper, laid down on white card (a modern mount)

Dimensions

23.8 × 44.5 cm (9 3/8 × 17 9/16 in.)

Credit Line

Regenstein Endowment Fund

Reference Number

2010.345

Extended information about this artwork

Object information is a work in progress and may be updated as new research findings emerge. To help improve this record, please email . Information about image downloads and licensing is available here.

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