Byron’s interpretation of this classic myth highlights the fascination human beings have always had with the origin of and their desire for creativity. We constantly reach out to find that creative spark through the stories we tell, the music we listen to, or the works of art we create. The need for creative expression is one that has existed for as long as humans have been sentient. It is interesting to observe the many forms and fields creativity can occur in. For our purposes, the act of creating art is of singular importance.
Consider one of the earliest forms of artistic expression, the cave paintings found at Chauvet in the Ardèche valley, France. These magnificent paintings, completed between 25,000 – 17,000 B.C., show a deep knowledge of the technical understanding required to create accurate pictorial representation. There is a deftness of touch and a sense of deep accomplishment of study and appreciation for the subjects that are painted upon the walls of this cave. The scale of these paintings, along with their scope and detail, show the level of care and purpose that the artists put into these works. The question arises, why in a time when the daily act of survival was so difficult did these individuals put the hours and considerable effort in to create these beautiful works of art? Of course, we will never know the exact reason or thought process that went into these creations. But the very fact that they do exist and display a level of beauty, perception, and appreciation for the world as they experienced it, shows that even at that early stage of human existence there was value in the act of creating art.
Our human experiences are so often defined by the memories we have, which provide value and meaning. The act of creating, the desire to be creative, stems from this long line of human connection and memory that is a part of our collective consciousness. There can be no greater joy than the discovery and application of the creative. It is the spark we all possess, even when it can feel as if it eludes us more often than not. There can be no greater pleasure, no better acknowledgment, and no higher purpose, then to use the kind gift of Promethean fire to strengthen ourselves through the creation of beauty in art.
“Here in their first abode you still may meet,
Bright with the hues of his Promethean heat;
A halo of the light of other days.
Which still the splendour of its orb betrays.”
-George Gordon, Lord Byron, Monody