“Medea”
For today, a revenge story.
This gorgeous piece, titled “Medea”, is an oil on canvas painting by the English artist, Evelyn De Morgan, from 1889. De Morgan was one of the more successful of the second generation of Pre-Raphaelite artists. An advocate for causes she believed in; she was also a Symbolism artist, putting messages and meanings into her art.
Medea is a well-known figure from Greek mythology. She was the wife of the hero, Jason, of Jason and the Argonauts fame. Jason met Medea on his quest for the Golden Fleece. She helped him achieve his goal, and Jason brought Medea back home to Corinth. They married and had two children.
The ancient Greek playwright, Euripides, wrote the play Medea in 431 BC. In the story, Jason abandons Medea to marry the king of Corinth’s daughter. Medea gets revenge on Jason for his betrayal by poisoning his new wife and her king father. To further punish her husband, she murders their own children, effectively extinguishing his entire family.
In this painting, De Morgan depicts Medea from Euripides’ story, pondering what she is about to do. A vial of poison is held in her right hand. She looks forlorn yet determined. An impressive painting, De Morgan painted this when she was 34 years old.
De Morgan used Jane Hales as the model for Medea. Hales was De Morgan’s sister’s nursemaid and was her favorite model. She used Hale to depict most of the women in her paintings. In contrast to other Pre-Raphaelites paintings of women which were almost dream-like or ephemeral, De Morgan’s women were strong, beautiful, and athletic, as seen in this piece here.
“Medea” is currently on display at the Williamson Art Gallery & Museum in Birkenhead, England.
For more on Evelyn De Morgan, please visit her short biography here.
You can find more artists to learn about here.
