Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch painter in the Renaissance era who made quite an impression despite not having much of his works or personal life recorded. Little information about him is confirmed, including his exact age and birth year, but it is generally agreed upon that he came from a family of relatively established painters and spent the bulk of his life living comfortably in the town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Infernal Landscape This drawing was part of a private collection that was only recently attributed to Bosch. His limitless imagination shines through, featuring a dystopian narrative filled with his famous beasts and fearful creatures, possibly with the purpose to warn the public about the consequences of sin.
Influences and Style
Often taking inspiration from the Bible, Bosch displays rather disturbing visuals of hell and the forces of evil in his paintings, something he became well known for. He put his own spin on these well-known stories and disregarded the general trend of the time.
The Adoration of the Magi The Adoration of the Magi is a triptych commissioned by Peeter Scheyfve and Agnes de Gramme for the El Escorial monastery. The central panel depicts three Magis presenting their various gifts to Christ and Virgin Mary. Upon closer examination, many symbols represent some of Bosch’s underlying messages, like the toads and the magi’s crown in the foreground.
The exact number of paintings attributed to him is also heavily debated, as Bosch did not sign nor date his paintings. Though, in the works that are confirmed to be his, the repeated appearance of owls serves as his unique seal of identity, which can be argued to symbolize wisdom, ignorance, or sin.
The Owl’s Nest This drawing is perhaps a nod to Bosch’s interest in owls, which he scatters across his many attributed paintings. Now located in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, The Owl’s Nest sits with a few of his other drawings, the only location in the Netherlands with a collection of his works.
His works were already being collected by many during his lifetime and his style was often imitated, even by Peter Bruegel the Elder, who was particularly influenced by his landscapes.
The Table of the Seven Deadly Sins The Table of the Seven Deadly Sins depicts a central wheel with the seven deadly sins, with four smaller wheels surrounding it that represent Death, Judgement, Heaven, and Hell. It is still speculated whether or not this painting is an authentic work of Bosch; it has been thought to be the work of one of his close followers multiple times. In the centre of the large wheel lies Jesus rising from his tomb, with the placement of this image being significant, as it symbolizes the pupil of an eye, saying that God sees all.
The Garden of Earthly Delights
I appreciate the intricacy of his larger works, with my favourite being TheGarden of Earthly Delights. I stumbled on a very extensive video analysis of this painting and thoroughly enjoyed the journey of hunting for the easter eggs and explanations for almost every aspect of the painting.
The Garden of Earthly DelightsThis elaborate triptych narrates a Biblical story from left to right and, in my opinion, cautions the audience of the horrid place that is Hell. The left panel illustrates God introducing Eve to Adam in the garden of Eden, where many plants and trees bloom and strange creatures lurk in the waters as a foreshadow of what’s to come. The largest centre panel is seen to be the moments when humans fail to resist the temptation of sin, disregarding any laws of nature and freelyfrolicking about. Lastly, the right panel portrays the scene of the Last Judgement, where humans become the victims of many demons, monsters, and other morbid creatures. The man’s face featured in the right panel is rumoured to be a self-portrait of Bosch himself; perhaps another way to make a mark on his works.
Bosch intrigues me because of the mystery and ambiguity around his works and him as an artist. He leaves many things up to our imaginations and never fails to leave me admiring with curiosity and awe. It is no wonder why he was such a notable character of the Northern Renaissance.
2 thoughts on “The Alluring Mysteries of Hieronymous Bosch”
Samantha,
Excellent work on Bosch here. Plenty of background information combined with your personal feelings and thoughts about both the work and the artist. This is just what I’m looking for. Keep up the good work moving forward.
Jeff
Writing comments from Patrick
What he said. Excellent storytelling. Suggest reading aloud so you can hear when sentences get too long (Little information about him is confirmed, including his exact age and birth year, but it is generally agreed upon that he came from a family of relatively established painters and spent the bulk of his life living comfortably in the town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.) That could easily be two sentences. This sentence could be rejigged for clarity: Now located in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, The Owl’s Nest sits with a few of his other drawings, the only location in the Netherlands with a collection of his works.
Overall, great post.
Samantha,
Excellent work on Bosch here. Plenty of background information combined with your personal feelings and thoughts about both the work and the artist. This is just what I’m looking for. Keep up the good work moving forward.
Jeff
Writing comments from Patrick
What he said. Excellent storytelling. Suggest reading aloud so you can hear when sentences get too long (Little information about him is confirmed, including his exact age and birth year, but it is generally agreed upon that he came from a family of relatively established painters and spent the bulk of his life living comfortably in the town of ‘s-Hertogenbosch.) That could easily be two sentences. This sentence could be rejigged for clarity: Now located in Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen, The Owl’s Nest sits with a few of his other drawings, the only location in the Netherlands with a collection of his works.
Overall, great post.