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 Hieronymus (Jeroen) Bosch (c. 1453-1516) was one of those rare artists who introduce a new vision to the history of his medium. His phantasmagoric images of Heaven and Hell were conjured out of the visions and myths that swirled and howled in the minds of many Christians poised between the Middle Ages and the Reformation in Northern Europe. These same images seem to have a special relevance to our own century, which has elevated the painter to that pantheon of heroes who faced unflinchingly the human condition. For not only do Bosch's tormented demons prefigure the discovery of the unconscious with its demonic forces, but his portrayal of the destructive power of machines proved a prophesy of our own dilemmas. As a painter who broke down and stepped outside of the established boundaries of his art, he is one of a handful of precursors of the art of our time, with its emphasis on originality of expression.
The descendant of generations of painters who lived far from the centers of art and culture in a small Netherlandish town, where he too painted and died, Bosch displayed a talent that was neither provincial nor naive. His vision was serious, vast in scope and sure of itself, and never without its tinge of mocking and irony. His ghastly fancies were characteristic of the age, visible evidence of the fear of witchcraft and devilry that obsessed his contemporaries. While the subjects he chose to paint were unusual, his grasp of their sources in scripture, mystical texts, and homiletic literature reveal an intellect of uncommon power. A lone wolf and curious personality, it was inevitable that he would be an innovator.
Bosch is most famous for his great altarpieces: The Hay Wain, The Temptations of Saint Anthony, and The Garden of Delights in Madrid; The Temptations of Saint Anthony in Lisbon; and The Last Judgment in Vienna. However, on this site some of his less well-known pieces are presented. |
