Henry - Caravaggio's Self Portrait

I like this self-portrait because Caravaggio portrays himself as the beheaded Medusa on a shield. In Greek legend, anyone who looked directly into the eyes of Medusa would turn into stone. Perseus put a mirror on his shield so that he could see her indirectly, and he defeated her by slicing her head off. Afterwards, Perseus put the head on a shield and used it as a weapon to turn his own enemies into stone.

Unlike most self portraits where the subject's expression looks as if it could be held for a long time, Caravaggio captures (and freezes) an expression which could only be held for a quick second in reality. I think it would be funny to watch an artist paint himself while while holding an expression as jarring as this one. I also can't imagine how he could do this without his jaw cramping. He must have used two mirrors so that he could draw his eyes not looking directly at himself.

 

I believe that by associating himself with Medusa, Caravaggio's portrait sends a message to his viewers, perhaps something along the lines of: "I am an artist. Whoever I draw will be captured and frozen in time." This is essentially the definition of what a portrait is - an image that captures some aspect of the person. Perhaps Caravaggio was into self-mutilation.