Jason and Medea by Gustave Moreau

Jason and Medea by Gustave Moreau

French painter Gustave Moreau painted his paintings for religious, mythological and allegorical paintings throughout his life. His works were very popular among his contemporaries.

In 1865, the artist creates the work “Jason and Medea”. The plot of the picture is the popular myth of Jason and Medea. In ancient Greek mythology, Medea was the daughter of the king of Colchis, a sorceress, the beloved leader of the Argonauts Jason. Jason set off on his legendary ship “Argo” to the uncharted lands of Colchis to get a great treasure – the golden fleece. The king of Colchis subjected him to various dangerous tests, but his daughter Medea, having fallen in love with Jason, always helped him. And with the help of a magic potion, Jason passed all the tests and stole the Golden Fleece. After that, Medea with her lover departed to his homeland. But their love story ended very tragic. Jason betrayed his beloved by betraying her, after which Medea cruelly avenged her unfaithful husband by killing her sons from him.

Gustave Moreau portrayed in the picture the beginning of this love story, and nothing in it says about the tragic ending. A sign was sent to Jason from above – he saw a pigeon hiding on his chest, and the kite flying behind him fell at the feet of the Argonaut. Jason interpreted this as the approval of the gods to ask the navigators for help from the sorceress Medea.

In the picture we see Jason, who threw up his hand, which indicates his resolute intention to achieve the desired goal. At his feet lies a downed kite. Looking at his beloved in love, Medea stands next to Jason. Their figures are almost naked, which is characteristic of works in the mythological genre.

Ocher, golden yellow, sand and brown shades create a warm coloring of the picture. The artist masterfully paints the ideal bodies of the heroes, who seem to have come to life with very ancient statues.

The picture has a large number of well-written parts that require a long review. The canvas is undoubtedly one of the most significant works of the author.

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