Prometeo jose orozco biography wikipedia

The mural is above a fireplace at the north end of the refectory of Frary Dining Hall at Pomona College. Surrounding his muscular, contorted figure is a crowd of people reacting to the gift, with some welcoming it and others scorning it. Orozco stayed on campus for three months to complete the mural, living in a Clark dormitory, eating meals at Frary, and using students as models.

Art historians generally interpret the mural to be a metaphor for the challenges often faced by those seeking to expand the realm of knowledge, particularly from conservative authority figures.

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This theme connects to the mural's collegiate setting. The subject of fire was of interest to him because of a fireworks accident in which he lost his left hand when he was Prometheus received immediate critical acclaim upon completion. It was the first major work by a Mexican muralist in the United States, [ 16 ] and helped Orozco, who was relatively unknown at the time, [ 17 ] [ 18 ] to subsequently land two other U.

Prometheus heavily influenced abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock , [ 21 ] [ 22 ] [ 23 ] who first visited the mural in the summer of [ 11 ] and called it "the greatest painting in North America". Among contemporary students, it is often noted for its conspicuous lack of a penis; [ 25 ] [ 26 ] [ 27 ] Orozco likely omitted it to avoid offending puritanical sensibilities.

Pomona has undertaken various preservation and restoration efforts over the years.