Behold! The dreaded Gorgon Medusa, slain by the hero Perseus. Master sculptor Gian Lorenzo Bernini captures her as an emotional creature, her eyes in fear, evoking sadness within us rather than the revulsion felt normally from most depictions of her visage. Perhaps she was misunderstood? Had she not known love before her tragic death? No one likes their head to be used as a weapon, carried around in a little sack. I suppose I would be sad too...
A loan made possible by the Sovraintendenza ai Beni Culturali di Roma Capitale - Musei Capitolini (phew), San Franciscans are blessed with Bernini's Medusa at the Legion of Honor. It's not a special exhibition, so you won't have to pay an additional fee (however the current Pissarro exhibition is quite amazing).
View the slideshow at left for photos of most of the Italian artwork present in the museum. For descriptions of the pieces, you can view the captions on this slideshow of artwork currently at the Legion of Honor.
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