I feel it appropriate to complement a post on Pieter Bruegel with one on Hieronymus Bosh. The two men lived at different times but one can draw parallels between them. Both were active in the Low Countries of Renaissance Europe, both had a tendency for including peasants as the main characters in their paintings, both have a similar style- Bruegel was highly influenced by Bosch who died nine years before he was born.
The two are showcased currently at the Philadelphia Museum of Art in a special exhibition to run until February 7th, 2008. The small exhibition shows several works by both the artists as well as several of their followers done in each respective styles.
Hellish Hallucinations
Hieronymus Bosch was inspired by literary works such as "The Ship of Fools" and the writings and sermons of monks. He could possibly have been influenced by religious ideas but at the same time one can argue that his religious themes were often sacrilegious. It is difficult for art historians to judge his unique art as religious or not. It is difficult to make heads or tails of much of his work, as it was very different from the contemporaries of his time, and its feverish visions of hell and otherworldly beings have not been matched to this day.
Religious or not, much of his work tends to have moral messages. His "Hay Wain" is based on the Flemish proverb "All the world's a mountain or hay, and everyone grabs as much as they can." The mountain of hay symbolizes man's greed, and is dragged along on a path to hell by half-human monstrosities. Everyone from the paupers to the Pope take part in this human procession, mad with worldly delights, unknowing of their impending doom. Above Christ watches, ignored, with hands outstretched as if to shrug and ask, "why?"
Another darker painting is the triptych (three paneled) "Temptation of Saint Anthony." Here unfolds the story of Saint Anthony, forced to watch as a black mass is celebrated. The saint is carried away and dropped by a toad demon. Off to the right is a hermit, trying as best he can to read his holy books and ignore the insanity present all around him. Speaking of insanity is almost difficult to imagine a perfectly sane person conjuring up such a painting. With people riding flying fish, hybrid monsters torturing innocent people, flames, ghouls, skeleton, and beasts running amok, it might be correct to say that Bosch has probably seen this in a dream. What imagination!
The pièce de résistance of all this is clearly Bosch's "The Garden of Earthly Delights." It is considered by many to be the most enigmatic and widely interpreted work of art in all of Western art. It is a triptych (center panel shown above) with the creation of Eve on the left, the garden of Earthly delights in the center and hell on the right, all meant to be read in that order.
One could spend literally hours studying this painting. It is full of allegories, symbols, and hidden meanings and messages. Lust is a dominant theme in the whole of the triptych, with only the creation of Eve, rather than the whole story of Creation and the Garden of Eden. Even though the Eden on the left seems normal and serene, at closer inspection a strange black pond exists in the foreground with a black beast with a long nose reading a book symbolizing evil. This blends the panel into the center panel.
The center panel is full of people. Humanity going about their usual business, committing sin and acts of lust coming from the original creation of woman (Eve). A couple engrossed with each other float on a strange plant in a glass bubble signifying the Flemish proverb, "Happiness is like glass, easily shattered." Strange beasts dot the landscape, with the usual flying fish and fairies; birds are everywhere in the picture, as well as elephants and giraffes and animals of exotic lands. Berries of all kinds symbolize greed. People live in fruit, plants, and strange orbs and danger seems to lurk by at every corner.
Then we move along to hell on the right panel. After living a life of lust and greed, our citizens of this horrible visions are to serve in eternity a miserable existence being tortured by lutes and hurdy-gurdies by demons of all shapes and types. Maniacal horror exists at every turn, with the people undoubtedly wishing they had changed their evil ways earlier in life. In the center of this panel, coming from tree stumps resting on boats, with demons shown inside taking a break in a bar, is the ridiculous mocking self portrait of Bosch. He has a rotating disk for a hat, with a bagpipe, a symbol for evil and lust. Off to the left is a knife slicing ears. Some interpretations have it that Bosch meant it to be the message that people should have listened to the New Testament, and other warnings of hell.
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