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Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini. "Head of Medusa." From the collection of the Capitoline Museums (Rome, Italy)

Pushkin Museum. AS Pushkin's masterpiece continues to show of Italian art in the Year of Italy in Russia. Following the works of the Renaissance - the painting "Lady with the Unicorn" by Raphael Sanzio of meeting the Galleria Borghese and the painting "Pallas and the Centaur" by Sandro Botticelli in the Uffizi Gallery - the museum has one of the jewels of the Italian Baroque - Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini sculpture "Head of Medusa" in the Capitoline Museums (Rome).

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini (1598 - 1680) - one of the greatest geniuses of the XVII century. The sculptor, creator of the urban ensembles, stage designer, but first and foremost, an architect. None of the artists are not affected to such an extent on the shape of Rome, as was done by Bernini: he created in front of the Cathedral of St. Peter's vast area with a colonnade, such "open arms" and numerous works that adorn the interior of the basilica, Palazzo Barberini, the church of Sant 'Andrea al Quirinale, the Fountain of Triton and Fountain of the Four Rivers in the famous Piazza Navona. And these are just some of the most famous of his creations. Glory to the master was so loud that in 1665, Louis XIV invited him to Paris for the Louvre palace adjustment.

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Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini sculpture "Head of Medusa" (1630), presented in the Pushkin Museum. AS Pushkin, considered to be one of the gems, created a great sculptor. The basis for the works of Bernini's served as a story out of Greek mythology, Medusa, being archaic. Unlike the two other sisters, Medusa was mortal, after Athena punished her for desecrating the church, which was devoid of innocence gorgon Poseidon. According to one version, the Gorgon Medusa was a girl with beautiful hair and wanted to compete with Athena in beauty. But over the desecration of the temple goddess of wisdom turned her hair into snakes and made mortal. Anyone who dared to look at Medusa, turned to stone. Gorgon win was only the hero Perseus, who enjoyed the patronage of Athens. Goddess of wisdom and advise to the hero, who was slain with Medusa, to look not at the very Gorgon, and at her reflection in the shiny surface of the shield. Using Mercury's winged sandals, Perseus, having experienced many adventures, beheaded the sleeping Medusa. After that, Pallas Athena placed her head on her aegis, the shield and then as a formidable weapon, helping to transform enemies into stone of wisdom and justice - virtues that embodies the goddess.

Initially portrayed an ugly monster Gorgon, with snakes curling around his head, like hair, bulging eyes, protruding tongue and fangs protruding from his mouth. Horrible grimace Gorgon was to instill fear and cause instant death and fossilization of the consequences of even a cursory glance at her. Later, in classical art, the image of Medusa poeticises, it turns into an extraordinary creature dared to compete with the Athena and a victim of an unexpected transformation. Very proud of his beauty, and, in particular, the magnificent head of hair, Medusa was punished by the chaste goddess transformed her hair into snakes, which in ancient times symbolized sensuality.

Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini carved in the full sense of the word bust-portrait of the most beautiful and Death Gorgon, imprinted in the transitional moment of its transformation. The game is clear: the body turns to stone, her hair - a dragon, happiness - in horror, and the final transformation, which does not leave hope. Bernini was undoubtedly familiar with the text "Metamorphoses" by Ovid, as well as the poetry of his contemporary poet Giovanni Battista Marino, whose poem, Medusa looks at his reflected image in an imaginary mirror, being caught in the moment with the pain and anxiety she is aware of his transformation into a marble and a cruel grin distorted her features. Marino and Bernini, seeking to discover the remarkable imitative quality sculpture reinterprets the ancient myth is not his view Gorgon turns enemies into stone, but the Medusa, which catches the fatal mistake of his image in an imaginary mirror, literally before our eyes into a marble. For Medusa Bernini - a refined baroque metaphor of sculpture, its high qualities and sculpture, which has the power to get petrified with surprise those who are able to come to the delight of the extraordinary skill of his chisel.

"Head of Medusa" by Giovanni Lorenzo Bernini - one of the masterpieces of Baroque art, which in its fullness of life and aesthetic principles in many respects close to our time.

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