“Megoosa” by Robin Krasinkiewicz

“Megoosa,” an acrylic painting by Robin Krasinkiewicz, is a contemporary spin on the classic figure of Medusa from Greek Mythology. Robin has always loved mythology and has recently taken an interest in art pieces inspired by a play on words. At the time of Megoosa’s creation, she had been exploring Lovecraftian horror, specifically Cthulhu, whose tentacles reminded her of the way Medusa’s snakes curl around her face. With these two thoughts in mind, Megoosa was born.

When creating Megoosa, Krasinkiewicz wanted to improvise as she went. One thing that became immediately apparent in her painting process, however, was that she didn’t want the painting to be intimidating. Unlike in traditional renditions of Medusa, where she is portrayed as a monster that must be slain, she wanted it to be gentle and have correspondingly warm tones used throughout the art piece. According to mythology, Medusa was a beautiful and powerful young woman who was raped by Poseidon in the temple of Athena. Some versions of the myth state that Athena turned her into a Gorgon so no man could ever look lustfully upon her again, while others say that Athena cursed Medusa for “defiling her temple.” In an effort to juxtapose traditional renditions of Medusa, Krasinkiewicz began by painting a red undercolour to bring out a warm tone in the paint. Bringing an aspect of joy and comfort to a devastating story and historical figure is a powerful form of resistance and a message to survivors, telling them that the world does not always need to remain dark. Moreover, despite her profound love of geese, she refused to make the eyes of the geese realistic or to use Canadian geese as a model for the hair, as she found their eyes to be too penetrating and scary, which would play too heavily into how Medusa is typically seen. “[The Painting] wasn’t intentional in lots of ways,” said Krasinkiewicz. Medusa has been vilified throughout history when, in reality, she was a victim. However, to  Krasinkiewicz, this painting represents none of those things. Megoosa is just a woman who has geese for hair. Allowing the subject of the painting to just be a woman, not a mythical monster, speaks to reclaiming one’s sense of identity and not letting the narrative of others define you, especially after a trauma. Reclaiming a sense of self is often something that survivors of sexual trauma struggle with and something Medusa never got to do. By bringing her gently to life in this piece, Krasinkiewicz is giving her that opportunity for rebirth.

Although the painting didn’t represent anything specific when she made it, she loves that people can interpret a lot from it. In fact, she often invites people to ask themselves which goose they are most attracted to. This is a very interesting take on the painting, as Medusa’s hair is often used to inspire fear. This simple question allows individuals to find something beautiful in something intended to be horrific. Similarly, I have found, in my own journey, that healing from trauma often involves reframing narrative and finding the light in the dark.

Art by Robin Krasinkiewicz.

You can find more of her art on Instagram: @robinspaintedpockets

Contributing author: Sophie Wagner