Oskar Kokoschka
1950
Oil paint and mixed media on canvas
256.5 cm x 249.4 cm
Painted in the aftermath of the Second World War and at the beginning of the Cold War, this large triptych (a work in three parts) is an expression of Oskar Kokoschka’s hopes and fears for the fate of humanity. He reinterpreted episodes from classical mythology and the Bible to explore three main themes: salvation (left); apocalypse (centre); and the dangers of humanity’s quest for power (right).
Greek mythology recounts that Prometheus was chained to a rock and condemned to having and eagle peck out his liver in punishment for stealing the fire of the gods. Challenging their authority, he shared this sacred knowledge with humankind.
Kokoschka saw the story as an allegory of humanity’s intellectual arrogance and overreaching ambition to harness powers beyond control. He equated Prometheus’s actions with modernity’s aggressive pursuit of technological power, epitomised by nuclear weapons. The storm clouds above Prometheus are carried into the central scene of The Apocalypse, making clear that he is the source of impending destruction.