Tre studier til en allegorisk siddende kvindefigur med et løftet Medusahoved i højre hånd 1798 - 1801

Editor: Here we have Nicolai Abildgaard's "Three Studies for an Allegorical Seated Female Figure with a Raised Medusa Head in Her Right Hand," created between 1798 and 1801, using pen, ink and charcoal on paper. The repetition of the central figure really grabs my attention. What stands out to you as you look at it? Curator: I am immediately struck by the weight of the Medusa head. The figure is repeated, yes, but each time, it seems the head has a slightly different emotional valence, doesn’t it? What do you read from these repeated Medusas? Are they trophies? Warnings? Editor: That’s interesting! I hadn’t thought about how the feeling changes slightly with each figure. The one on the left feels…powerful, maybe even triumphant? While the one on the right is much sadder. Curator: Exactly! Triumphant and sad - consider then, Medusa as a symbol of dangerous knowledge, or perhaps suppressed female rage. Abildgaard, steeped in Neoclassicism, taps into a very primal, unsettling set of emotions with this image. Do you see any clues about the figure that gives us further insight into which it might be? Editor: Hmm…the inscription says "Theologia" but I'm not sure how to reconcile it with the image. Curator: Perhaps Theology, here, represents a conquering of chaotic passions? Or conversely, a tragic acknowledgment of their power. Abildgaard leaves us space to contemplate those complex associations. Editor: I hadn’t considered that! It's amazing how a seemingly straightforward classical image can contain so much ambiguity. I see this piece in a completely new light now.