José Clemente Orozco's Prometheus:

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José Clemente Orozco - Prometheus, 1930 central panel - 20 x 28.5 ft.

About José Clemente's Orozco
In Greek myth, Prometheus was the Titan who stole fire from the gods to give to humankind, an act for which he was punished by a vengeful Zeus and spurned by those ignorant of its value. The fire that Prometheus stole is traditionally understood to symbolize wisdom and enlightenment, and the myth, therefore, represented an apt metaphor for the task of the college. There may also have been a degree of personal identification in the choice of subject: Orozco, whose work was still largely unappreciated in 1930, saw himself as an heroic rebel whose efforts to enlighten, like those of Prometheus, were spurned and punished. It is also interesting to note in this context that, as a boy, Orozco's right hand had been badly injured in an explosion; in the mural, Orozco shows his hero reaching for the fire, intent on bringing it to earth. The reception to Prometheus' heroic act is mixed; while some of the figures below respond eagerly, most turn away, preoccupied by their own concerns.

José Clemente Orozco - Prometheus, 1930 ceiling panel - 7 x 28.5 ft.

The ceiling panel contains an abstract composition of geometric forms, from which stylized flames emerge. This is generally interpreted as a symbolic representation of God, from whom the fire of knowledge emanates.

The two flanking panels were designed by Orozco but painted in large part by his assistant Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna. On the west, the Greek deities Zeus, Hera, and Io are portrayed; on the east are aging male centaurs and a female creature caught in the coils of a great serpent. Orozco described both of these as representing "the ancient times that Prometheus is upsetting by giving the fire of knowledge to man."

José Clemente Orozco and Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna Prometheus, 1930 west panel: Zeus, Hera and Io

José Clemente Orozco and Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna Prometheus, 1930 east panel: Centaurs 15.3 x 7 ft.