ABSTRACT

For Symbolist artists, at different levels, the figure of Prometheus was a reflection of their spiritual concerns. He reflected their spiritual crisis, which explains the importance of a christianized Prometheus, onto which they could transfer their need for the Absolute. For artists, the creative power of Prometheus obviously led to his use as a mirror which reflected themselves during the process of creation. The emphasis Lucien Dhuys put on the cosmic power of Prometheus had a great impact on František Kupka's own understanding of the Titan. Alexander Scriabin's dream of a total work of art, more than the dream of a fusion between different arts and the production of a symbiotic effect, revealed an ambition to create a fusion between the artwork and the world. Through the tangible application of the principle of synaesthesia to a work of art, associated with the figure of Prometheus, the Titan took on a new symbolic significance.