Bosch–Surrealism Artist, Painter of Middle Ages

Bosch’s Wild Imagination Creates Unforgettable, Magnificent Art

Oct 1, 2009

Though born in the 1400s, Dutch painter Hieronymous Bosch mastered unique styles that have been compared to surrealism Spanish artist Salvador Dali and modern art.

Mystery surrounds Medieval Dutch painter Hieronymous Bosch, whose works of art still provoke minds today. His paintings are commonly seen as a prototype of surrealism and thought to be created to illustrate orthodox religious beliefs. His unique style, visions and metaphors is unforgettable, ranging from the delightful to the terrifying and can be best seen in “The Garden of Earthly Delights”. Bosch has also influenced surrealism and artists such as Joan Miro.

For such an extraordinary painter whose wild imagination and bold symbolism deviating from the prevailing Flemish art traditions in the 1400 – 1500s, there is very little known about him. Bosch did not leave behind and letters or diaries and what is known about him is taken from brief references in the municipal records of 's-Hertogenbosch as well as in the Brotherhood of Our Lady’s account books. His personality or meaning of his art is not known.

What is known is that he was born Hieronymus van Aken in 1453 and signed a number of paintings as Bosch, coming from his birthplace ‘s-Hertogenbosch (near Antwerp) and that he was a member of the orthodox religious community the Brotherhood of our Lady, which composed of around 40 influential citizens of 's-Hertogenbosch, and 7,000 “outer-members” from around Europe

His grandfather, Jan van Aken was a painter and had five sons, four of whom were also painters. Bosch’s father, Anthonius van Aken was an artistic adviser to the Brotherhood of Our Lady. It is generally assumed that his father or one of his uncles taught the artist to paint, however none of their works survive.

Bosch was famous for his time and produced some of the most inventive fantasy paintings that have ever existed. He was often offered commissions from overseas, although he lived all his life in and near ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Many of his paintings are religious, and there are several on the theme of passion. He produced numerous triptychs, and is especially famous for his detailed and original so called “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.

This painting, whose original title has not survived, shows paradise and fantastic animals on the left panel, a wild sexual orgy features in the central panel where lust is depicted as the reason for man’s downfall, and hell on the right panel with depictions of strikingly vivid punishments of the different kinds of sinners.

“His obsessive and nightmarish vision has its antecedents in the Gothic twilight world of the late Middle Ages and, although the allegorical medieval world view is now lost, there have been many recent attempts to 'read' his pictures, not least by those who have attempted to interpret Bosch by dream analysis,” according to “The A-Z of Art: The World’s Greatest and most Popular Artists and their Works”.

“”The Garden of Earthly Delights” demonstrates Bosch's dazzling ability to build up a hugely detailed landscape through a series of bizarre exaggerations and distortions. There are over a thousand figures in this work altogether. Standing alone in its lifetime, Bosch's work has a timeless and modern quality that greatly endeared him to surrealists in the twentieth century.”

Surrealism and Medieval Morality

Some writers describe Bosch as a medieval surrealist, and similarities are often made with the 20th century artist Salvador Dali. It is generally accepted that Bosch’s art was created to teach specific moral and spiritual truths.

Scholars have come to accept that his art reflects the orthodox religious belief systems of his age. His portrayal of sinful humanity and his view of Heaven and Hell are now seen as consistent with those of late medieval academic literature and sermons. Most writers attach a more intellectual significance to his paintings and attempt to interpret it in terms of a late medieval morality.

Number of Original Works Debatable

Bosch never dated his paintings, but seems to have signed several of them, something unusual for his time. Less than 25 paintings remain today that can be attributed to him. In the late 16th century, Spain’s Philip II acquired many of Bosch's paintings, some probably commissioned by Spaniards in Bosch's hometown. Thus, the Prado Museum in Madrid now owns several of his works, including “The Garden of Earthly Delights”.

The exact number of Bosch's surviving works is debatable and there are only seven paintings which he signed. From the early 16th century onwards a number of copies and variations of his paintings were circulated. On top of that, his style was very influential and was widely imitated. Over the years, scholars have attributed to him fewer works once thought to be his. Today, only 25 are definitively attributed to him.

The copyright of the article Bosch–Surrealism Artist, Painter of Middle Ages in Medieval Art is owned by Yahan Wu. Permission to republish Bosch–Surrealism Artist, Painter of Middle Ages in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.