Prometheus

In 1930, Mexican painter José Clemente Orozco received his first mural commission in the United States, painting Prometheus in Frary Hall at Pomona College.

He was part of the renowned trio known as Los Tres Grandes, along with Diego Rivera and David Alfaro Siqueiros. Together they were central figures in the Mexican Muralist Movement.

Frary Hall's architect, Sumner Spaulding, suggested creating a mural, and Orozco was chosen at the urging of José Pijoan, professor of Art History and Hispanic Studies. Students raised funds for his fee, and Orozco spent two months in Claremont completing the work with the help of Jorge Juan Crespo de la Serna, a Mexican artist and critic.

Dominating the central panel is the myth of Prometheus, showing him reaching for fire to give to the people. In Greek mythology, Prometheus was a Titan who stole fire from the gods to give to humankind. For this, he was punished by a vengeful Zeus and rejected by those ignorant of the value of the gift. The stolen fire is understood as a symbol of wisdom and enlightenment—an apt metaphor for the college's task.

There may also have been an element of personal identification in the choice of subject: in 1930, Orozco’s work was still largely underappreciated, and, like Prometheus, his efforts to enlighten were met with resistance.

The ceiling panel shows an abstract representation of God, from whom the fire of knowledge emanates. The two flanking panels depict, in Orozco's words, "the ancient times that Prometheus is upsetting by giving the fire of knowledge to man."

The work is considered the first modern fresco in the United States, marking a pivotal moment in the influence of Mexican artists abroad. A teenage Jackson Pollock visited the mural, calling it "the greatest painting in North America" and leaving deeply inspired by its themes and monumentality.