[10] The Titan Prometheus of ancient Greek mythology dominates the main panel, reaching for fire to give to humans, an act for which he would later be punished by Zeus.

[6]The mural was commissioned in 1930 for Pomona's newly built neo-Gothic men's dining hall by its architect, Sumner Spaulding, and professor of art history and Hispanic studies José Pijoán [es].

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.

[5] 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.

[15] 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.S. commissions, a mural room at The New School in New York City and The Epic of American Civilization at Dartmouth College in New Hampshire.

[20][10] Prometheus heavily influenced abstract expressionist Jackson Pollock,[21][22][23] who first visited the mural in the summer of 1930[11] and called it "the greatest painting in North America".