HER EXHIBIT by artist Nancy Cintron

Oil on canvas, 12” x 9”

There are different stories being told of Medusa. In Ancient Greece artists portrayed her as beautiful and terrifying.

In the Metamorphoses, by Ovid, Medusa was originally a beautiful Greek maiden, "the jealous aspiration of many suitors," but because Poseidon had done it with her in Athena's temple (bad girl), the angered Athena turned Medusa's beautiful hair to snakes and transformed her into a monster.

Other stories say that Medusa boasted about her beauty and that her hair, eyes and face were more beautiful than Athena's, which resulted in the same outcome as the Poseidon affair.

Either way the petrifying Medusa was left with a curse (and a gift?).