Prometheus c. 1940

This intense monochromatic print of Prometheus was made by Joseph Mugnaini. I love the way the artist's hand has carved out this image of the fallen Titan and the solar system around him. It looks like Mugnaini was really pushing the possibilities of the medium here. I imagine him digging into the plate, maybe even feeling a little like Prometheus himself, wrestling with the gods to bring something new into being! I wonder if he listened to any interesting music while he was making this, something classical and tragic perhaps? The stars in the upper right hand corner are suggestive of possibility, while the jagged lines of Prometheus's body and the mountains below suggest a more earthly realm of struggle. I'm really drawn to the lines surrounding Prometheus's falling body, how they give off the feeling of fire and flight. There is so much energy in this print, and it makes me think about all the artists over the centuries who have been inspired by the myth of Prometheus. It’s as though he’s always falling, and always inspiring.