''Prometheus'' () is a

fresco Fresco ( or frescoes) is a technique of mural painting executed upon freshly laid ("wet") lime plaster. Water is used as the vehicle for the dry-powder pigment to merge with the plaster, and with the setting of the plaster, the painting become ...

by Mexican muralist José Clemente Orozco depicting the Greek Titan

Prometheus In Greek mythology, Prometheus (; , , possibly meaning "forethought")Smith"Prometheus". is a Titans, Titan. He is best known for defying the Olympian gods by taking theft of fire, fire from them and giving it to humanity in the form of technol ...

stealing fire from the heavens to give to humans. It was commissioned for

Pomona College Pomona College ( ) is a private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Claremont, California. It was established in 1887 by a group of Congregationalism in the United States, Congregationalists ...

's Frary Dining Hall and completed in June 1930, becoming the first modern fresco in the United States. It has received widespread critical acclaim.

Description

The mural is above a fireplace at the north end of the

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monastery, monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminary, seminaries. The name ...

of Frary Dining Hall at

. It consists of four panels: a main one facing the open eating area of the dining hall, two side ones, and an overhead one. The Titan

of ancient Greek mythology dominates the main panel, reaching for

fire Fire is the rapid oxidation of a fuel in the exothermic chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction Product (chemistry), products. Flames, the most visible portion of the fire, are produced in the combustion re ...

to give to humans, an act for which he would later be punished by

Zeus Zeus (, ) is the chief deity of the List of Greek deities, Greek pantheon. He is a sky father, sky and thunder god in ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, mythology, who rules as king of the gods on Mount Olympus. Zeus is the child ...

. Surrounding his muscular, contorted figure is a crowd of people reacting to the gift, with some welcoming it and others scorning it. The color palette features heavy use of reds, blues, and black. File:Prometheus (Orozco) left side panel.jpg, Left panel File:Prometheus (Orozco) overhead panel.jpg, Overhead panel File:Prometheus (Orozco) right side panel.jpg, Right panel

Production

The mural was commissioned in 1930 for Pomona's newly built

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

men's dining hall by its architect, Sumner Spaulding, and professor of art history and Hispanic studies . Journalist Alma Reed, a patron of Orozco's in New York, also helped the artist obtain the commission. Students helped to raise $300 of Orozco's artist fee of $2500 (). Orozco stayed on campus for three months to complete the mural, living in a Clark dormitory, eating meals at Frary, and using students as models. He was assisted in the painting by Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna, particularly with the side panels.

Interpretation

Art historians generally interpret the mural to be a metaphor for the challenges often faced by those seeking to expand the realm of knowledge, particularly from conservative authority figures. The varying reactions of the crowd around Prometheus depicts that human development comes with both costs and benefits. This theme connects to the mural's collegiate setting. It also had personal resonance for Orozco, who faced resistance throughout his life from those opposed to his leftist political views. The subject of fire was of interest to him because of a fireworks accident in which he lost his left hand when he was 21.

Reception and influence

''Prometheus'' received immediate critical acclaim upon completion. ''

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...

'' art critic Arthur Millier declared it a masterpiece, writing that Orozco "has energized that wall with his sublime conception of Prometheus bearing fire to cold, longing humanity until it lives as probably no wall in the United States lives today." He praised its "dynamic composition", describing it as "powerful beyond anything one can anticipate". It was the first major work by a Mexican muralist in the United States, and helped Orozco, who was relatively unknown at the time, to subsequently land two other U.S. commissions, a mural room at

The New School The New School is a Private university, private research university in New York City. It was founded in 1919 as The New School for Social Research with an original mission dedicated to academic freedom and intellectual inquiry and a home for p ...

in New York City and '' The Epic of American Civilization'' at

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

in New Hampshire. He would later become known as one of the "big three" of the Mexican Mural Renaissance. ''Prometheus'' heavily influenced abstract expressionist

Jackson Pollock Paul Jackson Pollock (; January 28, 1912August 11, 1956) was an American painter. A major figure in the abstract expressionist movement, Pollock was widely noticed for his "Drip painting, drip technique" of pouring or splashing liquid household ...

, who first visited the mural in the summer of 1930 and called it "the greatest painting in North America". Spaulding, Frary's architect, said "I feel as though the building would fall down if the fresco were removed." Among contemporary students, it is often noted for its conspicuous lack of a penis; Orozco likely omitted it to avoid offending puritanical sensibilities. He attempted to add one when he visited Pomona several months after initially completing the mural, but it did not adhere properly to the wall.

Preservation and restoration

Pomona has undertaken various preservation and restoration efforts over the years. In 1980, a protective varnish was applied over the mural. In 1982, structural damage was discovered in the wall behind the mural; it was subsequently reinforced. In 1995, it was restored after being damaged by vandals. In 2000, the college acquired preparatory drawings for the work from Orozco's relatives.

References

Bibliography

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External links

''Prometheus'' information page
at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College
''Prometheus'' permanent collection database record
at the Benton Museum of Art at Pomona College {{DEFAULTSORT:Prometheus Pomona College 1930 paintings 1930s murals Murals in California Fresco paintings in the United States Paintings by José Clemente Orozco Prometheus Paintings of Greek myths