Hyeronimus Bosch - The Garden of earthly delights

1503-1504
Museo del Prado, Madrid

Oil on wood triptych
220.3 x 194.94 cm

(click to enlarge)

Although Bosch's legacy is often seen as sanctimonious, it is still one of the most acclaimed and creative work in western world. Truth be told, Hyeronimus Bosch is said to have joined The Brotherhood of Our Lady, a rich organization devoted to the worship of the Virgin Mary, but in the other hand, his life was very obscure to all and he was wealthy enough to enjoy artistc freedom.

To make it even more ambiguous, the artist dared to place lust, dogma and subconcious in the same arena: "The garden of the earthly delights". This right in the end of middle age, the pre-times of the protestant reform where people were questioning the church and giving themselves up to an hedonistic life, when plagues and hunger doomed the european continent.

The triptych is divided into eden, earth and hell, the most common interpretation says it portraits our fall from divine to wicked, but others believe there is something behind all the symbolism, if they are magical, astrological or just sarcastic, nobody can say for sure.

Very curious is that Bosch painted the face of a a tree-man, standing on two boats after his own semblance. Why would he place himself in hell? Are we all going there and there's nothing we can do about it? Is that what clero cattolico preaches?

Saint or demon, his fantastic inventiveness and allegorical scenes has a huge ressonance, inspired movements and influenced many other great artists.