The Disillusioned Medea 1635 - 1645

Curator: Standing here, we’re observing Paulus Bor's, "The Disillusioned Medea," created sometime between 1635 and 1645. Editor: The light and shadows immediately create this incredibly somber mood; it's like stepping into someone's deepest regret. Curator: Yes, that subdued palette, typical of the Baroque, serves Bor’s interpretation of Medea's sorrow. Note how he uses classical references within the composition. See the statues and their placement within the depicted landscape. How do they strike you? Editor: There's a detachment. Medea is right there in the center, but her mind seems miles away, drifting, while these frozen figures look away. Her story is in plain sight and being ignored! The marble's coolness sharply contrasts her, hinting at the heated drama she is trying to come to terms with. It's like a memory—vivid but past. The textural contrast in her silky garb emphasizes this. Curator: Indeed. The stillness, and her repose invite contemplation. This divergence from Medea’s typically vengeful depiction in artworks might signal something. Look at her, draped so vulnerably. Consider Bor's presentation of Medea not just as a sorceress wronged, but perhaps as a figure grappling with the consequences of her choices. Do you see her disillusionment as the key to understanding the piece? Editor: Absolutely. The lack of fire and fury throws everything off balance. We know Medea’s capable of infanticide—a mother's worst act—but here, she's stripped bare of that narrative force, leaving only… sorrow. And even more devastating is Bor allowing her this quiet contemplation when society at the time had likely painted her with fewer and harsher strokes. Curator: This offers us a window, then, into the subtleties Bor explores—using historical and mythological settings to present his reflections on choice and consequence. Perhaps this humanizes the notorious sorceress of Colchis and highlights that stories can have very personal impacts. Editor: I am captivated. Bor managed to distill the entire drama of Medea’s tragedy into one heartbreaking tableau, and has left me pondering on her version of the truth, so different from how popular narratives treat her!