The painting featured above represents a familiar motif in Kriesberg’s work from the late 1970s: a stork or another type of bird (likely from the order Ciconiiformes) swooping down upon a languid humanoid figure residing on a cliff. These scenes allude to several theosophical narratives, most notably the annunciation in Christianity (Mary being visited by heavenly bodies announcing her pregnancy of Christ) and incarnation in Buddhism (Maya being visited by heavenly bodies announcing her pregnancy of the Buddha). There’s also a Greek mythological component from the title of this particular painting, which would suggest that the figure lying on the cliff is the Greek Titan Prometheus, who was defeated by the Olympian Zeus and tied to a rock where an eagle nipped at his liver daily. This painting could be referring to any and all of these scenarios.
The feminist author, Jane Alpert, was inspired and awestruck seeing this painting and wrote a poem in response to the artwork. The typewritten poem titled “On A Painting by Irving Kriesberg” (1978) can be read in its entirety below:
Alpert, Jane. "On A Painting by Irving Kriesberg." TS. Collection of the Estate of Irving Kriesberg, New York.