When I walked into the Philadelphia Museum of Art for my first time I could not wait to start looking at the artworks of brilliant artist of the past and present. I took my time on my first visit looking at as much as I could. Prometheus Bound by Peter Paul Ruben and Frans Synders, is one of the painting that drew my attention immediately and beckoned me to examine its history. Located on the second floor in room 258, this oil on canvas painting, spanning 95 7/8" x 82 1/2" (7' 117/8" x 6' 101/2"), was begun in 1611 and completed in 1618. Ruben completed the majority of the painting while Synders painted the giant Caucasian Eagle. I choose this painting because I am interested in myths and legends, and the story of Prometheus is of my favorites. I feel Ruben and Synders rendition is unique and mesmerizing due to the visual attributes.

In both Greek and Roman mythologies Prometheus was a Titan whose name means "Forethought." Although there are several versions of the myths, the most famous are that Prometheus creates man and later steals fire from Mount Olympus to save mankind. In the Greek myth, Prometheus was

In a letter to Sir Dudley Carleton, Ruben praised his painting as "the flower of his stock." If I were able to create a painting such as Prometheus Bound, I also would feel as Ruben expressed. The painting is remarkable with its the interplay of fantasy and reality and the expressiveness of torturing punishment and agony. Painting such as these with demonstrate how mythic stories was used as illustrations of the human condition. The painting brilliant color and bold form captures the heart and soul of people from the figures of myth and fantasy serving as representations of fantasy worlds and stories. As I walked into the room to see Ruben's painting I was drawn to the distress of the man in the painting. I felt pity and sadness and the thought of a giant bird devouring me made me cringe. The painting itself made me interested even before I knew its symbolism. The painting's pure realistic and graphic content drew me to it. Then when I realized its narrative content I knew this was the perfect subject for my paper.

Rubens was born in Antwerp in 1577, at 21 he was well educated and already a master painter. Rubens look to Italy to complete his education, he traveled to Venice where he studied the works of Titian, Veronese and Tintoretto. He learned important elements that would later define his style dramatic theatrical arrangements, lush voluptuous figures, and works on a grand scale. Rubens differed from many other Northern Baroque artists since his paintings usually show an Italian influence in both content (historical and classical themes as opposed to genre or religious themes) and form ( large grandiose scale, energy and tension compared to a smaller

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