Hieronymus Bosch: “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (and its influence)

Hieronymus Bosch - Triptych of Garden of Earthly Delights - c. 1500 - Oil on panel, central panel: 220 x 195 cm, wings: 220 x 97 cm - Museo del Prado, Madrid (click photo for larger image)

“Artists bring Hieronymus Bosch's triptych into the 21st century with Kate Moss, emojis, and Dr. Martens.” This is the opener of an article by Layne Goldman and Stefanie Waldek, featured in the July 3, 2014 issue of “ARTnews” magazine. The article is a discussion of contemporary works based on the great Bosch painting—all of which address paradise, hell, and the “earthly delights” in between. The article is a fascinating read and a number of wonderful interpretations are included.  But…there isn’t a complete photo of the great master’s original version—so we’re providing that here.

Bosch’s painting is one of the most enigmatic pictures ever made. It’s captivated and puzzled audiences for centuries. Despite the theme, it was never destined for a religious setting. Rather, it’s a conversation piece to be closely viewed and discussed among friends or visitors. It can be read on many levels, from the literal to the allegorical. You’ll note just a few of possible interpretations in the “ARTnews” article. You may have to acquire a free subscription to “ARTnews” (by entering your e-mail address) but this is a publication you art lovers will want to have at your fingertips!

The Feast of the Passover

Dieric Bouts the Elder - Altarpiece of the Holy Sacrament - 1464-67 - Oil on panel, 185 x 294 cm - Sint-Pieterskerk, Leuven (click photo for larger image)This panel is part of a large altarpiece that features the Last Supper as the primary central subject matter. The surroundings panels—this being one of them—all depict Old Testament themes. Dieric Bouts the Elder (1415-1475) was one of the most unique of the Early Netherlandish painters.

A Happy Passover to all who celebrate it!

Joachim Patenier: A Landscape Master

Joachim Patenier - Crossing the River Styx - 1515-24 - Oil on panel, 64 x 103 cm - Museo del Prado, Madrid (click photo for larger image)Very little is known about Northern Renaissance painter Joachim Patinir's (c. 1485-1524) training and early work. In 1515, he was elected master to the Antwerp St. Lukas Guild. He is noted as one of the earliest painters to make landscape a main element of his compositions. In fact, he often provided the backgrounds to the figures of other masters such as Massys or Isenbrandt. According to classical tradition, Charon, a boatman, carried the souls of those entering Tartarus or Hades across the River Styx. In this painting Patenier constructed a deep vista of a river and its two banks, which gives us a bird’s eye view.

Master of the Housebook

Master of the Housebook - The Last Supper - 1475-80 - Oak panel, 131 x 76 cm - Staatliche Museen, Berlin (click photo for larger image)The Master of the Housebook (active 1475-90 in Mainz) was a witty, animated artist known from a series of courtly sketches, as well as for his paintings. He was possibly active in Bruges, Freiburg, Mainz, and Ulm, where he was in the employ of Emperor Maximilian. The Last Supper, part of the Passion Altarpiece, is seen in old-fashioned perspective, with the figures in the foreground smaller than those at the far end of the table.  This also conforms to the hierarchy of size that was still adhered to by some artists, meaning that the most important people in a figural group were physically larger. This work shows Christ comforting St John, who is so overcome by learning of the Betrayal that he buries his head in Christ's lap. Judas, in the foreground, consoles himself by weighing his purse - payment for the Betrayal.

Geertgen tot Sin Jans

Geertgen - Man of Sorrows - c. 1495 - Oil on panel, 26 x 25 cm - Aartsbisschoppelijke Musea, Utrecht (click photo for larger image)Geertgen tot Sin Jans (c. 1460-1490) was an Early Netherlandish painter from the northern Low Countries in the Holy Roman Empire. No contemporary documentation of his life has been traced, and the earliest published account of him work is from 1604, in Karel van Mander's Schilder-boeck. According to van Mander, Geertgen was probably a pupil of Albert van Ouwater, who was one of the first oil painters in the northern Low Countries. Both painters lived in the city of Haarlem, where Geertgen was attached to the house of the Knights of Saint John, perhaps as a lay brother, for whom he painted an altarpiece. In van Mander's book he states that Geertgen took the name of St. John without joining the order, thus his last name "tot Sint Jans" was derived from the order's name and means "unto Saint John”. The picture featured here represents a scene from the Passion of Christ, and reveals the depths to which the artist explored human emotions.