Painting Analysis - "Prometheus Bound"

             When I walked into the Philadelphia Museum of Art for the first time I could not wait to start looking at the artworks of brilliant artists of the past and present. I took my time on my first visit looking at as much as I could. "Prometheus Bound" by Peter Paul Ruben and Frans Snyders, is one of the paintings that drew my attention immediately and beckoned me to examine its history. Located on the second floor in room 258, this oil on canvas painting, spanning 95 7/8" x 82 1/2" (7' 117/8" x 6' 101/2"), was begun in 1611 and completed in 1618. Ruben completed the majority of the painting while Snyders painted the giant Caucasian Eagle. I choose this painting because I am interested in myths and legends, and the story of Prometheus is of my favorites. I feel that the Ruben and Snyders rendition is unique and mesmerizing due to its visual attributes.
             In both Greek and Roman mythologies, Prometheus was a Titan whose name means "Forethought." Although there are several versions of the myth, the most famous are that Prometheus creates man and later steals fire from Mount Olympus to save mankind. In the Greek myth, Prometheus was the creator of mankind. The goddess Athena taught him architecture, astronomy, mathematics, navigation, medicine, and metallurgy, and he, in turn, taught those skills to humans. Zeus, the chief of the Greek gods, became angry with Prometheus for making people powerful by teaching them all these useful skills. Then when the gods chose Prometheus as a mediator in a dispute, he fooled the gullible Zeus into picking the worst parts of the sacrificial bull by hiding them under a rich layer of fat. To punish Prometheus, Zeus withheld fire from men. "Let them eat their flesh raw," he declared. Nevertheless, Prometheus disobeyed Zeus and stole fire from one of the other gods, returning to earth to delivered fire to mankind. Zeus tried to punish Prometheus by tricking Prometheus' brother, Epimetheus, into accepting the be...

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