Document
Koren Der Harootian For Younger Children
Prometheus and Vulture
1948
Koren Der Harootian
American, born in Armenia, 1909–1992
Subject: Storytelling
Activity: Creating your own story book
Materials: Two pieces of 8.5 x 11 paper, colored pencils, other optional coloring mediums of your choice
Vocabulary: Book title, carving, figurative, mythology, storytelling
Introduction
Koren Der Harootian was born in Armenia during a difficult and unsafe time in that country. During World War I, the lives of many Armenians were at risk. The artist and his family fled to the United States and moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, a community where many other Armenians also lived.
Der Harootian used stories from classical and religious subjects in his art. This sculpture shows the story of Prometheus. In ancient Greek mythology, the powerful god Zeus kept information from humans that would have helped them. Prometheus disobeyed Zeus; he secretly taught humans things like the alphabet, art, and medicine. Most importantly, Prometheus gave humans fire. As punishment, Zeus chained Prometheus to a mountaintop where a vulture would attack him every day. After thirteen human generations, the hero Hercules came to save Prometheus and set him free.
Questions
Why is storytelling important?
What are some of your favorite stories? It can be a book, movie, or something else.
Looking at the sculpture, what do you see depicted from the story of Prometheus and the vulture? What did you think of the story?
Activity
Think of one of your favorite stories. It can be a made-up story or one that happened in real life.
Fold two pieces of paper in half (hamburger style) and place them inside each other. With help of an adult, staple down the seam to create a book.
Draw your story in the book using colored pencils. The first page will be the cover of your book and show the title for your story. As you turn each page, you can read your story to someone else.
BTW
One of the earliest examples of storytelling can be seen in art. Cave drawings in Lascaux, France were made 30,000 years ago. More than 600 drawings of humans and animals were discovered in the cave in 1940.
Look again
David Hare’s sculpture, The Swan’s Dream of Leda, is also based on a classical Greek myth. The story tells of how the god Zeus wanted a beautiful woman named Leda. To disguise himself, Zeus appeared to Leda as a swan.
Vocabulary
Book Title ‒ The name of a book, composition, or other artistic work
Carving ‒ An object or design cut from a hard material as an artistic work
Figurative ‒ (Of an artist or work of art) Representing forms that are recognizably derived from life
Mythology ‒ Stories dealing with the gods and legendary heroes of a particular people
Storytelling ‒ The activity of telling or writing stories