Reexamining José Clemente Orozco's mural Prometheus, four contemporary artists from Mexico share Orozco's interest in the relationships between history, storytelling, and power, as they navigate their own 21st-century approach to political causes and personal mythologies.
In 1930, José Clemente Orozco completed his Prometheus fresco at Pomona College, the first mural painted in the United States by one of Los Tres Grandes of Mexican muralism. Drawing on the Greek myth of the Titan Prometheus bringing fire to humanity, Orozco's mural goes beyond the story's traditional symbolism to present a complex political work that questions the very idea of enlightenment in a modern world steeped in conflict. The exhibition Prometheus 2017: Four Artists from Mexico Revisit Orozco will reexamine Orozco's mural through the lens of four contemporary women artists from Mexico—Isa Carrillo, Adela Goldbard, Rita Ponce de León, and Naomi Rincón-Gallardo—who are producing a variety of socially-engaged artworks. These four contemporary Mexican artists share Orozco’s interest in the relationships among history, storytelling, and power, but navigate their own 21st-century approach to political causes and personal mythologies. In turn, these artists activate Orozco’s mural by reinvigorating Prometheus for a diverse, contemporary audience.
Reexamining José Clemente Orozco's mural Prometheus, four contemporary artists from Mexico share Orozco's interest in the relationships between history, storytelling, and power, as they navigate their own 21st-century approach to political causes and personal mythologies.
In 1930, José Clemente Orozco completed his Prometheus fresco at Pomona College, the first mural painted in the United States by one of Los Tres Grandes of Mexican muralism. Drawing on the Greek myth of the Titan Prometheus bringing fire to humanity, Orozco's mural goes beyond the story's traditional symbolism to present a complex political work that questions the very idea of enlightenment in a modern world steeped in conflict. The exhibition Prometheus 2017: Four Artists from Mexico Revisit Orozco will reexamine Orozco's mural through the lens of four contemporary women artists from Mexico—Isa Carrillo, Adela Goldbard, Rita Ponce de León, and Naomi Rincón-Gallardo—who are producing a variety of socially-engaged artworks. These four contemporary Mexican artists share Orozco’s interest in the relationships among history, storytelling, and power, but navigate their own 21st-century approach to political causes and personal mythologies. In turn, these artists activate Orozco’s mural by reinvigorating Prometheus for a diverse, contemporary audience.
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