Prometheus Bound by Peter Paul Rubens
Prometheus Bound is an oil painting showing the punishment of Prometheus. It was being painted between 1611 and 1618 by Peter Paul Rubens. This is a joint work including the eagle painted by the animal painter Frans Snyders though Kimball notes that Rubens himself stated to be an original by his own hand (67). The artist himself described his work as “the flower of my stock (Atkins)”. The Greek play Prometheus Bound was the basis of the painting.
The painting is a prominent example of Baroque art. It is the central piece in the PMA’s exhibition “The Wrath of the Gods: Masterpieces by Rubens, Michelangelo, and Titian.” by Christopher D.M. Atkins.
The Greek myth tells the story about Prometheus who stole fire from the gods in order to provide it to humankind. This gift was supposed to make humans dominant over all other creatures and threatened supremacy of Olympus. Consequently, Zeus punished Prometheus by chaining it to a mountain. An eagle was repeatedly eating Prometheus’ liver which was regenerated every night.
At all time the legend was a fruitful theme for different artists and authors not only the Greek ones. It affected such authors as Shelley, Longfellow and Byron. In different ages the legend represented the opposition between man and God, freedom and oppression and so forth (Chen 754).
Symbolism in the painting
The aesthetic of horror is applied to Prometheus Bound through stoic hardiness of physical torment. was an aspect of what the catalog calls “the aesthetic of horror.” After a long residence in Italy Rubens returns to the Netherlands and makes his claim for international status as an artist using the cruel aesthetic which may be compared to the modern horror and superhero films. This comparison is made possible because the artist exploits this aesthetic to terrify and captivate the public (Scherer).
Rubens in his painting identifies Prometheus as the predecessor of Jesus Christ. Both Christ and Prometheus experienced physical punishment because they enlightened and released humankind. The slit through which the eagle pulls out Prometheus’ liver may refer to many depictions of Christ’s spear wound on the paintings of his Crucifixion.
Dempsey states that Prometheus Bound has Italian visual sources (421). Specialists note that the painting is similar to the powerful figure of Christ in “Last Judgment” by Michelangelo. Rubens may have seen the painting in the Sistine Chapel in 1606 during his Roman visit. Similarity to the Michelangelo’s “Tityus” is also observed here. However, it is modified by an awareness of “Tityus” by Titian (Dempsey 421).
Obviously, the main focus of the painting is the eagle. In fact, however, it also shows the suffering of Prometheus who is a very powerful figure in Greek mythology caused by the eagle as a result of his transgressions.
Rubens’ adaptation of the myth shows an obvious physical strength of Prometheus due to his lushly depicted muscles but it is useless due to his position. He is bound by chains and cannot fight the eagle back. The eagle is given a prominent role by Rubens. The eagle’s size is expanded by Snyders who followed Rubens’ design to strengthen depiction of Prometheus’ suffering (Woollet, van Suchtelen 171). The dawn that is seen on the background of the painting may refer to the hope for being saved keeping in mind the fact that he was rescued by Hercules. Prometheus is depicted lying next to the cause of his torture –– a lit torch. This may stand for the fact that Prometheus does not regret his violation of the Zeus’ divine will. However, it seems that Prometheus has almost given up because he is depicted lying on his back. This feature differs Rubens’ depiction of the myth from the typical ones which frequently depict Prometheus standing.
In the painting the figure of Prometheus incarnates the battle between the forces of nature and human progress. Prometheus stands for the second one while Zeus is a symbol of nature. This is explained by the fact that Greek pantheon generally based on the forces of nature. He impedes human progress after Prometheus brought conversely promotes it among people. Zeus also uses the eagle as the executioner.
The use of light and dark
Describing formal properties of Prometheus Bound it is necessary to note the Rubens’ work with light and dark. The foreground of the piece is predominantly painted with dark colors while its background is more light, especially the dawn. As it was mentioned, the dawn stands for the hope to be rescued while all the dark parts of the work are linked to mental and physical pain. It is as well clearly seen that the figure of Prometheus is much brighter than that of the eagle. This may imply that the Prometheus is the symbol of enlightenment while the eagle embodies ignorance.
According to the fact that he is considered to be a proponent of an extravagant Baroque style he emphasizes the color in the painting the movement of the eagle and Prometheus' struggling.
The role of the liver in the painting
Another powerful symbol provided in the painting is Prometheus’ liver. Thomas and Peter Chen in their article emphasize the role of it in both the myth and the painting. The painting depicts Prometheus in chains with an eagle pecking at his liver in the foreground. In the Greek legend, the eagle repeatedly ate his liver after it was recovered during the night. In fact, it stands for the immortality of his liver. The authors state that such unusual form is very uncommon in the mythological literature (Chen 754).
In the Chens opinion, there are two reasons for liver being noted as immortal. The first one concerns its regenerative abilities and the second one refers to the fact that the ancient Greeks considered liver to be the residence of the soul and intelligence (Chen 755). The fact that the soul is indestructible is connected to the constant regeneration of the liver. The liver and the soul being equal strengthen the Prometheus' struggle which is mainly physical. Comparing to this the eagle eating the liver brings the minor physical pain. Rubens wonderfully portrays the conflict between the two types of pain. Writhing Prometheus seems to be suffering from a mental pain that is much bigger than physical one brought by the actions of the eagle (Chen 755). Reading the myth of Prometheus one may assume that the ancient
Greeks were in some measure aware of the liver’s repairing abilities.
There is a second possible explanation concerning the significance Prometheus’ liver. This hypothesis observes his punishment as some kind of castration due to the possible connection of liver to passion and lust. But the authors of the article warn the reader about some objections to the speculation. The first one is that the liver is not used in the erotic context until the time of Aeschylus. The second objection is that castration seems to be a disproportionate punishment for the crime committed by Prometheus. Moreover, the crime is not even lustful and sex-related (Chen 755).
As it was mentioned, the immortal liver represents the Prometheus’ soul. His soul is an obvious target for Zeus’ brutality. The regenerative ability of the liver makes the punishment not only long and violent but also damaging Prometheus’ mental health.
Conclusion
Prometheus Bound by Peter Paul Rubens is a very powerful depiction of punishment, torment, and struggle. The painting is of great symbolism and is performed with a great talent. In this work Rubens expresses his own vision of the legend.
As it may be concluded, Prometheus Bound by Rubens is greatly influenced by the Italian Renaissance artists such as Michelangelo and Titian. He studied the examples of the art of the time during his travels to Italy, analyzed figures, compositions but used his own Baroque approach while painting the piece. The painting may refer to the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ having similarities in the depiction of both stories on paintings. It is necessary to note that this particular depiction of the myth of Prometheus is untypical and is substantially influenced by the depiction of the biblical scenes.
Works Cited
Woollett, Anne T., and Ariane van Suchtelen, eds. Rubens & Brueghel: a working
friendship. Getty Publications, 2006. Print.
Atkins, Christopher DM. The Wrath of the Gods: Masterpieces by Rubens,
Michelangelo, and Titian. Ed. David Updike. 2015. Web. 9 Aug. 2016.
Dempsey, Charles. "Euanthesredivivus: Rubens's Prometheus bound." Journal of
the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes (1967): 420-425. Print.
Kimball, Fiske. "Rubens' Prometheus." The Burlington Magazine 94.588 (1952): 67-
70. Print.
Chen, T. S., and P. S. Chen. "The myth of Prometheus and the liver." Journal of the
Royal Society of Medicine 87.12 (1994): 754.
Scherer, Barrymore L. “The Wrath of the Gods: Masterpieces by Rubens,
Michelangelo, and Titian’ Review”. The Wall Street Journal. Web. 9 Aug. 2016.
