From the start, Dürrenmatt drew his imagery from mythology, especially Greek mythology, which he came to know and love from the stories his father used to tell him as a child. The most frequently depicted motifs are the labyrinth and the Minotaur imprisoned therein; Atlas holding up the world; and Prometheus who, both artist and rebel, fashions clay into men. Also peopling his art are the emasculated Uranus; Orpheus and Ulysses on their respective journeys to the Underworld; and enraged centaurs.
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, «Zornige Zentauren», 1979, Gouache auf Karton, 71,8 x 101,8 cm, Sammlung Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel
© CDN/Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, «Prometheus, Menschen formend», 1988, Gouache auf Karton, 99,4 x 69,7 cm, Sammlung Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel
© CDN/Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft
Friedrich Dürrenmatt, «Labyrinth I: Der entwürdigte Minotaurus», 1962, Gouache auf Karton, 72 x 51 cm, Sammlung Centre Dürrenmatt Neuchâtel
© CDN/Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft