THE EVOLUTION OF ICONOGRAPHY OF THE GORGON MEDUSA IN ANCIENT VISUAL ARTS

Abstract

The article provides a comprehensive analysis of the iconography of the Gorgon Medusa throughout the main stages of its evolution — from the Archaic to the Roman period. The study employs iconographic and comparative- mythological methods, which make it possible to trace the connection between the visual evolution of Medusa and the sociocultural processes of the ancient world. The gradual transformation of her representations is examined: from grotesque, demonic masks to anthropomorphic, idealized faces of the “beautiful Medusa,” reflecting the progressive humanization of the myth about a terrifying monster. The paper discusses the principal iconographic types — from the full-bodied Gorgon in the Knielauf pose to the gorgoneion, as well as hybrid forms combining features of animals and goddesses. Particular attention is paid to the transformation of the Gorgon Medusa’s image during the transitional period, when she began to be depicted as sleeping, comic, or even grotesquely cheerful. The analysis demonstrates how, in different epochs, the key elements of her iconography (face, hair, eyes, posture) underwent changes that mirrored the shift in her symbolism — from an apotropaic monster with bulging eyes and a protruding tongue to an aesthetic and emotional figure. The study also examines less common but equally significant types of gorgoneia for understanding the image’s evolution, designated as the “childlike” and the “compassionate” types. Through the identification of iconographic features in certain depictions of Medusa that combine traits of both the Archaic period (snakes in her hair, swollen face) and the Classical period (vulnerability expressed through childlike features, ornamented eyes), it is shown that by the time of the Roman Empire the image already tended toward a mixed stylistic approach. The conclusion is that the evolution of Medusa as a visual code laid the foundation for new semantic interpretations in the art of the Renaissance, Classicism, and Modernism, where her image acquired the qualities of a universal cultural metaphor.