Medea
- Print size: 8ʺ × 6ʺ
- Paper size: 11ʺ × 10ʺ approx.
- Limited Edition of 18, signed and hand-numbered
- Ink: Oil-based relief printing ink (Burnt Sienna)
- Paper: Somerset Gray, 280gsm, velvet surface (mould-made 100% cotton rag, acid free, archival quality)
The Medea print developed from a series of photographs I took in early 2012 based around the theme of the Greek mythological character of Medea.
Medea is an intriguing character in Greek mythology - a powerful woman both by birth (she is the daughter of King Aeëtes of Colchis and niece of the sorceress Circe) as well as in her own right (she was a sorceress and a priestess of Hectate).
The most famous stories are about her involvement in the myths of Jason and the Argonauts, particularly her essential aid in helping Jason overcome the otherwise impossible tasks set for him by King Aeëtes, Jason’s abandonment of her in favour of another woman, and her subsequent murder of her own children in revenge (although apparently variants of the myth existed before the fifth century BCE which have her accidentally killing her children or them being murdered by the citizens of Corinth.
Most versions of the Medea myths cast her firmly in the role of vengeful spurned wife and murderer, but it feels like there’s more under the surface - hints of earlier myth forms where her power is respected and her acts are perhaps not as portrayed by the poets and playwrights who only told Jason’s side of the story.
