The title of the work is "Bellerophon
Taming Pegasus" and it was created in 1966 by Jacques Lipchitz a Lithuanian
artist who died in 1973.
The Public Art for East London website tells
us:
“For Lipchitz, the capture of the
flying horse Pegasus by the Greek hero Bellerophon symbolised the control of
nature by human intelligence. He selected the theme specifically for a sculpture
at the Columbia University School of Law in New York. Bellerophon stands at the
bottom of the composition, pulling down Pegasus’s head and tying a rope around
his neck. The final sculpture, set in place in 1977, is more than eleven metres
high.” – Tate caption of a sketch Sketch for ‘Bellerophon Taming
Pegasus’"
This refers to the later statue in New
York but the physical image is identical but smaller standing about three metres
high on its base.
The Broadgate website further tells
us:
"This tangle of forms seems to stand
precariously on its pedestal, as the Greek hero Bellerophon wrestles the winged
horse Pegasus. Viewers crane their necks and twist from one side to another as
they try to work out the epic narrative presented by the figures. For Lipchitz,
this Greek legend represented the dominance of man over nature - Bellerophon,
having tamed Pegasus, was sent to kill the monster Chimaera as a penance for
rejecting the advances of Queen Argus. Have you worked it out
yet?
Lipchitz was one of the most
prominent cubist sculptors of his generation. As a teenager he moved to Paris,
where he mixed with Picasso and Braque. By the time he left Paris for New York
at the start of the Second World War, Lipchitz had already established an
international following. Over the following decades his reputation continued to
grow, culminating in major retrospective exhibitions at museums throughout the
USA."
The About.Com tells about Bellerophon:
"Bellerophon was one of the demi-god
heroes of Greek mythology because he was the son of a mortal father, Glaucus of
Corinth, and a god father, Poseidon. Sisyphus was Bellerophon's
grandfather.
King Iobates of Lycia sent
Bellerophon on a suicide quest, to destroy the fire-breathing monster known as
the chimera. As tended to happen when kings in Greek mythology used monsters to
do their dirty work, Iobates' plan failed. Instead, with the help of his winged
horse, Pegasus, Bellerophon was able to complete the task safely. He then
conquered the Solymi and the Amazons.
Upon Bellerophon's return to Lycia,
Iobates gave him half his kingdom and his daughter.
In time, the gods and goddesses came
to hate Bellerophon. According to Pindar this is because Bellerophon tried to
use Pegasus to get to the home of the gods. Zeus drove the horse mad with a
gadfly and so Bellerophon fell from it.
Bellerophon was honored as a hero in
Corinth."
The Greek
Mythology website tells us about Pegasus:
"Pegasus was a winged horse and good
flyer. The Pegasus was the result of the ill fated mating of Medusa and
Poseidon. It was born from Medusa when her head was cut off by Perseus. Tamed by
Bellerophon it served as his mount during his adventures including his slaying
of the Chimaera. When Bellerophon attempted to fly Pegasus to Mount Olympus he
was dismounted by Zeus. Pegasus continued on and made it to Mount Olympus. Here
Pegasus spent his days carrying lighting bolts for
Zeus."