Original artwork description:

Since I have finished this painting I have been thinking about its meaning to me.
At first I was thinking about it as a price Prometheus is paying for his decision of stealing the secret of fire from the gods and giving it to humankind. It was about his suffering, as heroic and worthwhile it may be, after all, if wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have fire i.e. civilization.
But now I’m tending to see it as life itself, or as Joseph Campbell has taught us, The Hero’s Journey. After all, Prometheus is one of the mythological heroes. So now I’m seeing his wound not as a scar from an accident or a bad life decision, but rather of life itself.
His would is not to be seen as an essentially bad thing, but rather a good thing, he is alive after all. Suffering is an unavoidable part of life, as his story teaches us. But sooner or later it will end. His wound is to be seen as a sign of life, human life, with suffering and joy. Prometheus lives and suffers as one of us, but in that life he is capable of doing great feats, as bringing us fire. Let us be the Hero or our lives. . “Participate joyfully in the sorrows of the world. We cannot cure the world of sorrows, but we can choose to live in joy.” Joseph Campbell.

Materials used:

Oil on Canvas