Being the offspring of Zeus’ affair with Alcmene, Zeus’ wife Hera attempted to kill Herakles ever since he was a child. Herakles slipped through all of Hera’s attempts, prolonging his life. Hera decided attacking Herakles directly would not be the best approach, so she focused her efforts on destroying his spirit by driving him mad and forcing him to murder his wife, Megara, and their children.

After recovering his sanity, Herakles expressed deep remorse from his actions, purified by King Thespius, and traveled to Delphi to determine how he could atone for his actions. The Oracle of Delph, Pythia, instructed him to go to Tiryns and serve his cousin and a man he saw as an inferior, King Eurystheus, for ten years and perform whatever labors given his way Herakles can, in return, obtain immortality.

The final task, King Eurystheus instructs Herakles going into the Land of the Dead to capture Cerberus, the hound of Hades who guards the gates of the Underworld to prevent the dead from leaving.

This story is told as twelve separate paintings on display at the FJKluth Art Gallery titled: Herakles Visits the Land of the Dead. The exhibition features drawings by Koen Satyawan from sketches by Frederick John Kluth.

Herakles Visits the Land of the Dead will open on Saturday, October 30th, 2021 to coincide with Standing Rock Cultural Arts’ exhibition, Dia De Los Muertos. The exhibition will be on display through Wednesday, November 24th, 2021 at FJKluth Art Gallery located at 300 North Water St, Suite I; Kent, OH 44240. The exhibition is free and open to the public.