Explore the Style about the Description of this artwork.
Caravaggio employs tenebrism and realism to create the illusion of a three-dimensional work. Medusa's cheeks and jawline are also elongated to complement the nature of the painting.Caravaggio chose to mount the canvas on a convex wooden shield because it would draw comparisons to the much-celebrated work of Leonardo da Vinci. A well-known anecdote of the time stated that Leonardo's father had once asked him to decorate the surface of a shield. In response, Leonardo had painted a "hybrid monster," combining the attributes of animals such as snakes, insects and lizards. Medusa, with her snakes for hair, could also be considered a "hybrid monster."
Medusa tenebrism the much-celebrated work of Leonardo da Vinci Caravaggio monster