If I was in charge of creating a Zelda-themed dictionary, you would find a picture of Medli from The Wind Waker next to the word “classy.” Quietly dignified and mature beyond her years, Medli fully embraces her role as a servant to the gods without complaint, despite knowing that she must say goodbye to the peaceful existence she has enjoyed for most of her life. In the face of unyielding darkness and unspeakable danger, the Rito girl calmly plucks the strings of her harp, casting a bright ray of hope into a black sea of despair.
Yet Medli herself would be the first to admit that she isn’t perfect. Her wings aren’t strong enough to lift her more than a few feet off of the ground, she can be quite clumsy, and she lacks the confidence needed to speak eloquently. But these flaws actually cast her in an even more flattering light, and her humble, optimistic spirit guides her effortlessly through any rough patches she encounters. Truly, Medli deserves to be immortalized in art as the magnificently imperfect gem she is, which is what brings me to today’s piece.
Artist SIeepyBears‘ decision to recreate Medli in Art Nouveau style was a stroke of absolute genius. Art Nouveau flourished in Great Britain in the late 1800s, designed to push back against the stiff, calculated aesthetic of academic art by emphasizing freer expression. The key component to this artistic style is the “organic line,” a long, undulating line of ink that ebbs and flows in a natural way, which makes it ideal for the elegant curves of flowers, vines, wings, etc. SIeepyBears beautifully employed the organic line technique in “Medli Nouveau,” as the lines of the hair and body flow gently to create an elegant yet unrestrained form for our dear Rito girl. Unlike in the game, Medli’s wings are depicted on her back here, and the sheer amount of detail makes them pop to life in brilliant splendor. You can almost feel the soft, downy feathers as those wings slowly unfurl from her body.
Characters in Art Nouveau paintings are often framed by an ornamental halo whose decoration flatters the subject of the piece, and here it is no different. The warm earth tones of brown, red, and orange reflect an island born of flaming rock, whose guardian deity protects the goddess pearl at the center of the halo. Medli had dedicated her life to serving that deity on Dragon Roost Island, so it is perfectly fitting that her halo would capture the essence of that island. In addition, the Bomb Flowers at her feet replace the regular flowers we would see in an Art Nouveau piece, adding another charming personal touch to the composition. The minimalist wisps of flowers on either side of the halo add to the feeling of serenity, as we watch Medli delicately play her iconic instrument.
But before we lose ourselves entirely in Medli’s angelic portrayal here, there’s one last essential thing that I need to point out: her long, talon-like appendages. In The Wind Waker, we are never fully confronted with the fact that the Rito are half-bird, as their beaks and retractable wings are the only physical features that mark them as non-human. Here, however, Medli’s clawed fingers and toes throw her differences into much sharper relief, making her straddle the line between the world of “perfect” humans and the realm of beasts.
As I said before, however, this realistic representation of Medli’s animalistic roots actually enhances her image as the subject of an Art Nouveau piece. Just as the organic line twists and turns in an unrefined yet beautiful way, Medli is a character firmly tied to both the heavens and the earth. She serves the gods with grace, yet she also embodies the natural world in all its stark, rough, imperfect glory. Just like Art Nouveau, Medli is the best of both worlds, and a class act until the very end.
If you’re interested in seeing more Art Nouveau Zelda works, Elina previously wrote a great article on a rather sensuous piece depicting Zelda and Vaati from The Minish Cap.
