Years Antonison Van Aken (Nethern. Jeroen Anthoniszoon Van Aken), better known as Jerony Bosch (Nether. Jeronimus Bosch [ˌɦijeˈnimʏs ˈbɔs], Latin by hieronymus bosch; about 1450-1516) - Netherdish hereditary artist of the largest masters of the period of the northern revival . About ten paintings and twelve drawings from the artist’s work have survived. He was initiated into the Brotherhood of Our Lady (Dutch. Illustre Lieve Vrouwe Broederschap; 1486); considered one of the most mysterious painters in history Western art. In Bosch's hometown, the Dutch town of 's-Hertogenbosch, a Bosch Center has been opened, which displays copies of all his works.

Jeroen van Aken was born around 1450 in 's-Hertogenbosch (Brabant). The van Aken family, which originated from the German city of Aachen, has long been associated with painting - the artists were Jan van Aken (Bosch's grandfather, d. 1454) and four of his five sons, including Jerome's father, Anthony. Since nothing is known about Bosch’s development as an artist, it is assumed that he received his first lessons in painting in the family workshop.

Bosch lived and worked mainly in his native 's-Hertogenbosch, which at that time was part of the Duchy of Burgundy, and is now the administrative center of the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands. The first mention of Bosch in archival documents dates back to 1474, where he is called “Jheronimus”.

According to information about the artist’s life preserved in the city archive, his father died in 1478, and Bosch inherited his art workshop. The van Aken workshop carried out a wide variety of orders - primarily wall paintings, but also gilding wooden sculptures and even making church utensils. “Hieronymus the painter” (according to a document from 1480) took the pseudonym from the abbreviated name of his hometown- Den Bosch - during the period of change of power in the country: after the death of Charles the Bold (1477), power in the Burgundian Netherlands passed in 1482 from the Valois to the Habsburgs.

Around 1480, the artist married Aleit Goyaerts van der Meervene, whom he apparently knew from childhood. She came from a wealthy merchant family from 's-Hertogenbosch. Thanks to this marriage, Bosch becomes an influential burgher in his hometown. They had no children.

In 1486 he joined the Brotherhood of Our Lady ("Zoete Lieve Vrouw"), a religious society that arose in 's-Hertogenbosch in 1318 and consisted of both monks and laymen. The brotherhood, dedicated to the cult of the Virgin Mary, was also involved in charity work. In archival documents, Bosch's name is mentioned several times: he, as a painter, was entrusted with various orders, ranging from the design of festive processions and ritual sacraments of the Brotherhood to the painting of altar doors for the Chapel of the Brotherhood in the Cathedral of St. John (1489, the painting is lost) or even a model of a candelabra.

In 1497, his elder brother Gossen van Aken died. In 1504, Bosch received an order from the governor of the Netherlands, Philip the Fair, for the triptych “ Last Judgment».

The painter died on August 9, 1516, the funeral service took place in the mentioned chapel of the cathedral. The solemnity of this ceremony confirms Bosch’s close connection with the Brotherhood of Our Lady.

Six months after Bosch’s death, his wife distributed to his heirs what little was left after the artist. There is every reason to believe that Hieronymus Bosch never owned any real estate. Bosch's wife survived her husband by three years.

Bosch's art has always had enormous attractive power. Previously, it was believed that the devilry in Bosch’s paintings was intended only to amuse the audience, to tickle their nerves, like those grotesque figures that the masters Italian Renaissance woven into their ornaments.

Modern scientists have come to the conclusion that Bosch’s work contains much more deep meaning, and have made many attempts to explain its meaning, find its origins, and give it an interpretation. Some consider Bosch to be something like a 15th-century surrealist, who extracted his unprecedented images from the depths of the subconscious, and when they mention his name, they invariably remember Salvador Dali. Others believe that Bosch's art reflects medieval "esoteric disciplines" - alchemy, astrology, black magic. Still others try to connect the artist with various religious heresies that existed in that era. According to Frenger, Bosch was a member of the Brotherhood of the Free Spirit, whose adherents were also called Adamites, a heretical sect that arose in the 13th century, but developed rapidly throughout Europe several centuries later. However, most scientists reject this hypothesis, since there is no data confirming the existence of the sect in the Netherlands during Bosch’s lifetime.

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Hieronymus Bosch is the most mysterious artist of all times and peoples. People are still trying to decipher his paintings. But we will not get closer to their complete solution.

Because Bosch spoke several languages. In the language of religious symbolism. In the language of alchemists. And also Dutch proverbs. And even astrology.

It's hard not to get confused. But thanks to this, interest in Bosch will never dry up. Here are just a few of his masterpieces that captivate with their mystery.

1. Garden of earthly delights. 1505-1510

Hieronymus Bosch. Garden earthly pleasures. 1505-1510 Prado Museum, Madrid. Wikimedia.commons.org

“The Garden of Earthly Delights” is the most famous work Bosch. You can look at it for hours. But you still don’t understand anything. Why all these naked people? Giant berries. Fancy fountains. Outlandish monsters.

In a nutshell. Paradise is depicted on the left wing. God just created Adam and Eve. But Bosch's paradise is not so heavenly. Here we see Evil too. The cat is carrying a mouse in its teeth. And nearby a bird is pecking a frog.

Why? Animals can do evil. This is their way of survival. But for a person this is a sin.

Hieronymus Bosch. Garden of earthly delights. Fragment of the left wing of the triptych. 1505-1510 Prado Museum, Madrid

In the middle part of the triptych, many naked people lead an idle lifestyle. They care only about earthly pleasures. Their symbols are giant berries and birds.

People indulge in the sin of voluptuousness. But conditionally. We understand this through symbols. You won't find explicit erotica. Only one pair doesn't look very decent. Try to find her.

If that doesn’t work, you’ll find a close-up of it in the article.

Did you know that a copy of the central part of the famous triptych is kept there? Created 50 years later by a follower of Bosch. The poses and gestures are the same. Only people in the style of mannerism. With beautiful torsos and languid faces.

Bosch's characters are flatter and more bloodless. Like blanks, blanks of people. Why write real people if their lives are empty, aimless.

Top: Follower of Bosch. Garden of earthly delights. Fragment. 1556-1568 , Saint Petersburg. Bottom: Hieronymus Bosch. The central part of the triptych. 1505-1510 Prado Museum, Madrid

On the right wing we see Hell. Here are those who were fond of idle music or gluttony. Gamblers and drunkards. Proud and stingy.

But there are no less mysteries here. Why are we meeting Eve here? She sits under the bird-headed monster's chair. What kind of notes are depicted on the backside of one of the sinners? And why did poor musicians end up in Hell?

2. Ship of Fools. 1495-1500

Hieronymus Bosch. Ship of fools. 1495-1500 . Wikimedia.commons.org

Painting “Ship of Fools”. Why ship? A common metaphor in Bosch's time. This is what they said about the Church. She must “carry” her parishioners through worldly vanity to spiritual purity.

But something is wrong with Bosch's ship. Its passengers indulge in empty fun. They are bawling and drinking. Both monks and laymen. They don’t even notice that their ship is no longer sailing anywhere. And so long ago that a tree grew through the bottom.

Pay attention to the jester. A fool by profession behaves more seriously than others. He turned away from those having fun and drinks his compote. Without him, there are already enough fools on this ship.

“Ship of Fools” is the upper part of the right wing of the triptych. The lower part is stored in another country. On it we see the shore. The bathers threw off their clothes and surrounded the barrel of wine.

Two of them swam to the ship of fools. Look, one of them has the same bowl as the bather next to the barrel.

Hieronymus Bosch. Allegory of gluttony and lust. 1500 Art Gallery Yale University, New Haven, USA.

3. Temptation of Saint Anthony. 1505-1506

. 1500 National Museum old art in Lisbon, Portugal. Wikimedia.commons.org

Temptation of Saint Anthony. Another fantastic triptych by Bosch. Among the heap of monsters and behemoths are four stories from the life of a hermit.

First, the saint in heaven is tormented by demons. Satan sent them. It gave him no rest that he was struggling with earthly temptations.

The demons threw the exhausted saint to the ground. We see him being led, exhausted, by the arms.

In the central part, the saint is already kneeling among mysterious characters. It's the alchemists who are trying to make it look like an elixir. eternal life. As we know, nothing worked out for them.

Hieronymus Bosch. Temptation of Saint Anthony. Fragment of the central part of the triptych. 1500 National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon, Portugal

And on the right wing, Satan made another attempt to seduce the saint from his righteous path. Coming to him in the form of a beautiful queen. To seduce him. But even here the saint resisted.

The triptych “The Temptation of St. Anthony” is interesting for its monsters. Such a variety of unknown creatures makes your eyes wide open.

And monsters with the head of a sheep with the body of a plucked goose. And half-people, half-trees with fish tails. Bosch's most famous monster also lives here. An absurd creature with a funnel and a bird's beak.

Hieronymus Bosch. Fragment of the left wing of the triptych “The Temptation of Saint Anthony”. 1500 National Museum of Ancient Art in Lisbon, Portugal

You can admire these entities in detail in the article.

Bosch loved to portray Saint Anthony. In 2016, another painting of this saint was recognized as the work of Bosch.

Yes, the little monsters look like Bosch's. There's nothing wrong with them. But there is more than enough imagination. And a funnel with legs. And a scoop-shaped nose. And the fish is walking.

Hieronymus Bosch. Temptation of Saint Anthony. 1500-1510 Nelson-Atkins Museum, Kansas City, USA. Wikimedia.commons.org

4. Prodigal Son. 1500

Hieronymus Bosch. Prodigal son. 1500 Boijmans-Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Wikimedia.commons.org

In the painting “Prodigal Son”, instead of huge amount characters - one main character. Traveler.

He is pretty battered by life. But he has hope. Leaving the world of depravity and sin, he wants to return home to his father. In to the world righteous life and spiritual grace.

He looks back at the house. Which is an allegory of a dissolute lifestyle. Tavern or inn. A temporary shelter full of primitive amusements.

The roof is leaky. The shutter is warped. A visitor relieves himself just around the corner. And two are having fun in the doorway. All this symbolizes spiritual degradation.

Hieronymus Bosch. Prodigal son. Fragment. 1500 Boijmans-Van Beuningen Museum, Rotterdam, Netherlands

But our traveler has already woken up. He realized that he had to leave. A woman looks at him from the window. She doesn't understand his action. Or he's jealous. She does not have the strength or opportunity to leave this “leaky”, pitiful world.

The “Prodigal Son” is similar to another traveler. Which is depicted on the closed doors of the triptych “Voz Seine”.

Hieronymus Bosch. Wanderer. Closed doors of the triptych “Voz Seine”. 1516 Prado Museum, Madrid

The meaning here is similar. We are travelers. There is much to be happy about along our journey. But there are also many dangers. Where are we going? And will we get somewhere? Or will we wander like this until death overtakes us on the road?

5. Carrying the cross 1515-1516

Hieronymus Bosch. Carrying the cross. 1515-1516 Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium. Wga.hu

An unexpected job for Bosch. Instead of distant horizons and many characters, there is a very close approach. Foreground only. The faces are so close to us that we can even feel claustrophobic.

There are no more monsters. People themselves are ugly. All their vices are visible on their faces. Gloat. Condemning another. Mental deafness. Aggression.

Note that only three characters have normal traits. The repentant robber is in the upper right corner. Christ himself. And Saint Veronica in the lower left corner.

Hieronymus Bosch. Carrying the cross. Fragment. 1515-1516 Museum of Fine Arts, Ghent, Belgium. Wikipedia.org

They closed their eyes. Disconnected from this world, which is filled with a screaming and angry crowd. Only the thief and Christ go to the right, towards death. And Veronica goes to the left, towards life.

The image of Christ appeared on Veronica’s scarf. He looks at us. With sad, calm eyes. What does he want to tell us? Did we see ourselves in this crowd? Are we ready to become human? Freed from aggression and condemnation.

Bosch was an artist. Yes, he was a contemporary of Leonardo da Vinci and Michelangelo.

Therefore, its main character is human. Which he examined from all vantage points. And from afar. Like in “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” And very close. As in “Carrying the Cross.”

His verdict is not encouraging. People are mired in vices. But there is hope. Hope that each of us will find a way to salvation. The main thing is to look at yourself from the outside in time.

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Bosch, Bosch Hieronymus [actually Hieronymus van Aeken] (c. 1450/60–1516), great Netherlandish painter. He worked mainly in 's-Hertogenbosch in North Flanders. One of the most brilliant early masters Northern Renaissance

Hieronymus Bosch, in his multi-figure compositions and paintings on the themes of folk sayings, proverbs and parables, combined sophisticated medieval fantasy, grotesque demonic images generated by a boundless imagination with realistic innovations unusual for the art of his era.
Bosch's style is unique and has no analogues in the Dutch painting tradition.
The work of Hieronymus Bosch is at the same time innovative and traditional, naive and sophisticated; it fascinates people with a feeling of some kind of mystery known to one artist. “Eminent master” - this is how Bosch was called in 's-Hertogenbosch, to whom the artist remained faithful until the end of his days, although his lifetime fame spread far beyond the borders of his hometown.

It is believed that this early work Bosch: between 1475 and 1480. The Seven Deadly Sins was in De Guevara's collection in Brussels around 1520 and was acquired by Philip II of Spain in 1670. The painting “The Seven Deadly Sins” hung in the personal chambers of King Philip II of Spain, apparently helping him violently persecute heretics.

A composition of symmetrically arranged circles and two unfolding scrolls, where quotations from Deuteronomy prophesy with deep pessimism about the fate of humanity. In Circles - Bosch's first depiction of Hell and existing in singular interpretation of Heavenly Paradise. The seven deadly sins are depicted in segments of God's all-seeing eye in the center of the composition; they are presented in a distinctly moralizing manner.

This work is one of Bosch's most clear and moralizing works and is equipped with detailed quotations from Deuteronomy that explain the meaning of what is depicted. The words inscribed on the fluttering scrolls: “For they are a people who have lost their minds, and there is no sense in them.” And “I will hide my face from them and see what will happen the end of them», - define the theme of this pictorial prophecy.

"Ship of Fools" is without a doubt a satire
In the painting "Ship of Fools", a monk and two nuns shamelessly have fun with peasants in a boat with a jester as its helmsman. Perhaps this is a parody of the ship of the Church, leading souls to eternal salvation, or perhaps an accusation of lust and intemperance against the clergy.

The passengers of the fantastic ship, sailing to the “Country of Stupidity”, personify human vices. The grotesque ugliness of the heroes is embodied by the author in shining colors. Bosch is both real and symbolic. The world created by the artist is beautiful in itself, but stupidity and evil reign in it.

Most of the subjects of Bosch's paintings are associated with episodes from the life of Christ or saints opposing vice, or are gleaned from allegories and proverbs about human greed and stupidity.

Saint Anthony 1500s. Prado Museum, Madrid.

The Life of Saint Anthony, written by Athanasius the Great, tells that in 271 AD. While still young, Anthony retired to the desert to live as an ascetic. He lived 105 years (approx. 251 - 356).

Bosch depicted the “earthly” temptation of Saint Anthony, when the devil, distracting him from meditation, tempted him with earthly goods.
His round back and pose, closed with intertwined fingers, speak of an extreme degree of immersion in meditation.
Even the devil in the form of a pig stood calmly next to Anthony, like a tamed dog. So does the saint in Bosch’s painting see or not see the monsters that surround him?
They are visible only to us sinners, for "what we contemplate is what we are

Bosch has an image internal conflict a person reflecting on the nature of Evil, about the best and the worst, about the desirable and the forbidden, resulted in a very accurate picture of vice. Anthony, with his strength, which he receives by the grace of God, resists a barrage of vicious visions, but can an ordinary mortal resist all this?

In the painting “The Prodigal Son” Hieronymus Bosch interpreted his ideas about life
The hero of the picture - skinny, in a torn dress and mismatched shoes, withered and as if flattened on a plane - is presented in a strange stopped and yet continuing movement.
It is almost copied from life - in any case, European art did not know such an image of poverty before Bosch - but there is something of an insect in the dry emaciation of its forms.
This is the life that a person leads, with which, even leaving it, he is connected. Only nature remains pure, endless. The dull color of the painting expresses Bosch's thought - gray, almost grisaille tones unite both people and nature. This unity is natural and natural
.
Bosch in the picture depicts Jesus Christ among a raging crowd, densely filling the space around him with angry, triumphant faces.
For Bosch, the image of Christ is the personification of boundless mercy, spiritual purity, patience and simplicity. He is opposed by powerful forces of evil. They subject him to terrible torment, physical and spiritual. Christ shows man an example of overcoming all difficulties.
In its artistic qualities, “Carrying the Cross” contradicts all pictorial canons. Bosch depicted a scene whose space had lost all connection with reality. Heads and torsos protrude from the darkness and disappear in the darkness.
He transforms ugliness, both external and internal, into some higher aesthetic category, which even after six centuries continues to excite minds and feelings.

In Hieronymus Bosch's painting The Crowning of Thorns, Jesus, surrounded by four torturers, appears before the viewer with an air of solemn humility. Before execution, two warriors crown his head with a crown of thorns.
The number “four” - the number of the depicted tormentors of Christ - among symbolic numbers stands out for its special wealth of associations; it is associated with the cross and the square. Four parts of the world; four Seasons; four rivers in Paradise; four evangelists; four great prophets - Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel; four temperaments: sanguine, choleric, melancholic and phlegmatic.
The four evil faces of Christ’s tormentors are the bearers of four temperaments, that is, all varieties of people. The two faces at the top are considered the embodiment of the phlegmatic and melancholic temperament, the bottom - the sanguine and choleric.

The impassive Christ is placed in the center of the composition, but the main thing here is not he, but the triumphant Evil, who has taken the form of tormentors. Evil appears to Bosch as a natural link in some prescribed order of things.

Hieronymus Bosch Altarpiece "The Temptation of St. Anthony", 1505-1506
The triptych summarizes the main motifs of Bosch's work. The image of the human race, mired in sins and stupidity, and the endless variety of hellish torments awaiting it, is joined here by the Passion of Christ and scenes of the temptation of the saint, whose unshakable firmness of faith allows him to withstand the onslaught of enemies - the World, the Flesh, the Devil.
The painting “The Flight and Fall of Saint Anthony” is the left wing of the altar “The Temptation of Saint Anthony” and tells the story of the saint’s struggle with the Devil. The artist returned to this topic more than once in his work. Saint Anthony is an instructive example of how one must resist earthly temptations, be on guard at all times, not accept everything that seems to be true, and know that deception can lead to God's damnation.

Taking Jesus into custody and carrying the cross 1505-1506. National Museum, Lisbon.

External doors of the triptych “The Temptation of St. Anthony”
Left outer door “The Taking of Jesus into custody in the Garden of Gethsemane.” Right outer wing “Carrying the Cross”.

The central part of “The Temptation of St. Anthony”. The space of the picture is literally teeming with fantastic, implausible characters.
In that era when the existence of Hell and Satan was an immutable reality, when the coming of the Antichrist seemed completely inevitable, the fearless fortitude of the saint, looking at us from his chapel, filled with the forces of evil, should have encouraged people and instilled hope in them.

The right wing of the triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights” received its name “Musical Hell” because of the images of instruments used as instruments of torture

The victim becomes the executioner, the prey becomes the hunter, and this perfectly conveys the chaos reigning in Hell, where the normal relationships that once existed in the world are inverted, and the most ordinary and harmless objects Everyday life, growing to monstrous sizes, turn into instruments of torture.

Hieronymus Bosch Altarpiece "Garden of Earthly Delights", 1504-1505

The left wing of the triptych “The Garden of Earthly Delights” depicts the last three days of the creation of the world and is called “Creation” or “Earthly Paradise”.

The artist populates the fantastic landscape with many real and unreal species of flora and fauna.
In the foreground of this landscape, depicting the antediluvian world, there is depicted not a scene of temptation or expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, but their union by God.
He holds Eve's hand as is customary in a marriage ceremony. Here Bosch depicts the mystical wedding of Christ, Adam and Eve

In the center of the composition rises the Source of Life - high. a thin, pink structure decorated with intricate carvings. Glistening in the mud gems, just like fantastic beasts are probably inspired by medieval ideas about India, which has captivated the imagination of Europeans with its wonders since the time of Alexander the Great. There was a popular and fairly widespread belief that it was in India that Eden, lost by man, was located.

The altarpiece “The Garden of Earthly Delights” is the most famous triptych of Hieronymus Bosch, which got its name from the theme of the central part, dedicated to the sin of voluptuousness - Luxuria.
One should not assume that Bosch intended the crowd of naked lovers to become the apotheosis of sinless sexuality. For medieval morality, sexual intercourse, which in the 20th century they finally learned to perceive as a natural part of human existence, was more often proof that man had lost his angelic nature and fallen low. IN best case scenario copulation was looked upon as a necessary evil, at worst as a mortal sin. Most likely, for Bosch, the garden of earthly pleasures is a world corrupted by lust.

World creation 1505-1506. Prado Museum, Madrid.

External doors “Creation of the World” of the altar “Garden of Earthly Delights”. Bosch depicts here the third day of creation: the creation of the earth, flat and round, washed by the sea and placed in a giant sphere. In addition, newly emerging vegetation is depicted.
This rare, if not unique, plot demonstrates the depth and power of Bosch’s imagination.

Hieronymus Bosch Altarpiece "Hay Wagon", 1500-1502

Paradise, triptych of a cart of hay

The left shutter of Hieronymus Bosch's triptych “A Wain of Hay” is dedicated to the theme of the Fall of our first parents, Adam and Eve. The traditional, cult nature of this composition is beyond doubt: it includes four episodes from the biblical Book of Genesis - the casting down of the rebel angels from heaven, the creation of Eve, the Fall, and expulsion from Paradise. All scenes are distributed in the space of a single landscape depicting Paradise.

A cart of hay 1500-1502, Prado Museum, Madrid.

The world is a haystack: everyone grabs as much as they can. The human race appears mired in sin, completely rejecting divine institutions and indifferent to the fate prepared for it by the Almighty.

The triptych of Hieronymus Bosch “A Wain of Hay” is considered the first of the great satirical and legal allegories of the mature period of the artist’s work.
Against the backdrop of an endless landscape, a cavalcade moves behind a huge cart of hay, and among them are the emperor and the pope (with recognizable features of Alexander VI). Representatives of other classes - peasants, townspeople, clergy and nuns - grab armfuls of hay from a cart or fight for it. Christ, surrounded by a golden radiance, watches the feverish human bustle from above with indifference and detachment.
No one, except the angel praying on top of the cart, notices either the Divine presence or the fact that the cart is being pulled by demons.

The right shutter of Hieronymus Bosch's triptych "A Wain of Hay". The image of Hell is found in Bosch's works much more often than Heaven. The artist fills the space with apocalyptic fires and ruins of architectural buildings, making one remember Babylon - the Christian quintessence of the demonic city, traditionally contrasted with the “City of Heavenly Jerusalem”. In his version of Hell, Bosch relied on literary sources, coloring the motifs drawn from there by playing with his own imagination.

The external shutters of the altar “Hay Wagon” have their own name “Life’s Path” and are inferior in craftsmanship to the image on the internal shutters and were probably completed by Bosch’s apprentices and students
The path of Bosch's pilgrim runs through a hostile and treacherous world, and all the dangers it conceals are presented in the details of the landscape. Some threaten life, embodied in the images of robbers or an evil dog (however, it can also symbolize slanderers, whose evil tongue was often compared to the barking of a dog). The dancing peasants are an image of a different, moral danger; like lovers on top of a hay cart, they were seduced by the “music of the flesh” and submitted to it.

Hieronymus Bosch "Visions" the afterlife", part of the altar "Last Judgment", 1500-1504

Earthly Paradise, composition Visions of the Underworld

In his mature period of creativity, Bosch moves from depicting visible world to the imaginary, generated by his irrepressible imagination. Visions appear to him as if in a dream, because Bosch’s images are devoid of corporeality, they intricately combine enchanting beauty and unreal, like in a nightmare, horror: ethereal phantom figures are devoid of earthly gravity and easily fly up. The main characters of Bosch's paintings are not so much people as grimacing demons, scary and at the same time funny monsters.

This is a world beyond the control of common sense, the kingdom of the Antichrist. The artist translated the prophecies that spread in Western Europe To early XVI century - the time when the End of the World was predicted,

Ascension to the Empyrean 1500-1504, Doge's Palace, Venice.

The Earthly Paradise is located directly below the Heavenly Paradise. This is a kind of intermediate stage where the righteous are cleansed of the last stains of sin before they appear before the Almighty.

Those depicted, accompanied by angels, march to the source of life. Those who have already been saved turn their gaze to heaven. In “Ascension to the Empyrean,” disembodied souls, having gotten rid of everything earthly, rush to bright light, shining above their heads. This is the last thing that separates the souls of the righteous from eternal merging with God, from “the absolute depth of revealed divinity.”

Overthrow of Sinners 1500-1504, Doge's Palace, Venice.

“The Overthrow of Sinners” sinners, carried away by demons, fly down in the darkness. The contours of their figures are barely highlighted by flashes of hellfire.

Many other visions of Hell created by Bosch also seem chaotic, but only at first glance, and upon closer examination they always reveal logic, a clear structure and meaningfulness.

Hell's river composition Visions of the Underworld 1500-1504, Doge's Palace, Venice.

In the painting “Hell's River,” a column of fire shoots into the sky from the top of a steep cliff, and below, in the water, the souls of sinners flounder helplessly. In the foreground is a sinner, if not yet repentant, then at least thoughtful. He sits on the shore, not noticing the demon with wings who is pulling his hand. The Last Judgment is the main theme running through all of Bosch's work. He depicts the Last Judgment as a global catastrophe, a night illuminated by flashes of hellfire, against the backdrop of which monstrous monsters torture sinners.

During the time of Bosch, clairvoyants and astrologers claimed that the Antichrist would rule the world before the second coming of Christ and the Last Judgment. Many then believed that this time had already come. The Apocalypse - the Revelation of the Apostle John the Theologian, written during the period of religious persecution in Ancient Rome, a vision of the terrifying catastrophes that God will subject the world to for the sins of people. Everything will perish in the purifying flame.

The painting “Extracting the Stones of Stupidity,” which illustrates the procedure for extracting the stone of madness from the brain, is dedicated to human naivety and depicts the typical quackery of healers of that time. Several symbols are depicted, such as a funnel of wisdom placed on the surgeon's head in mockery, a jug on his belt, and a patient's bag pierced with a dagger.

Marriage in Cana

In the traditional plot of the first miracle performed by Christ - the transformation of water into wine - Bosch introduces new elements of mystery. The psalm-reader, who stands with his arms raised in front of the bride and groom, the musician in the makeshift gallery, the master of ceremonies, pointing to the finely crafted ceremonial dishes on display, the servant who faints - all these figures are completely unexpected and unusual for the plot being depicted.

Magician 1475 - 1480s. Museum Boijmans van Beuningen.

Hieronymus Bosch's board "The Magician" is a picture full of humor, where the very faces of the characters and, of course, the behavior of the main characters are funny: an insidious charlatan, a simpleton who believed that he spat out a frog, and a thief carrying his bag with an indifferent look.

The painting “Death and the Miser” was painted on a plot, perhaps inspired by the well-known edifying text “Ars moriendi” (“The Art of Dying”) in the Netherlands, which describes the struggle of devils and angels for the soul of a dying person.

Bosch captures climax. Death crosses the threshold of the room, an angel calls on the image of the crucified Savior, and the devil tries to take possession of the soul of a dying miser.

The painting “Allegory of Gluttony and Lust” or otherwise “Allegory of Gluttony and Lust”, apparently, Bosch considered these sins to be among the most disgusting and inherent primarily in monks.

Painting "The Crucifixion of Christ". For Bosch, the image of Christ is the personification of mercy, spiritual purity, patience and simplicity. He is opposed by powerful forces of evil. They subject him to terrible torment, physical and spiritual. Christ shows man an example of overcoming all difficulties. It is followed by both saints and some ordinary people.

Painting "Prayer of St. Jerome". Saint Jerome was the patron saint of Hieronymus Bosch. Maybe that’s why the hermit is portrayed rather reservedly

Saint Jerome or Blessed Jerome of Stridon is one of the four Latin Fathers of the Church. Jerome was a man of powerful intellect and fiery temperament. He traveled widely and in his youth made a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Later he retired for four years to the Chalcis desert, where he lived as an ascetic hermit.

The painting “Saint John on Patmos” by Bosch depicts John the Evangelist, who writes his famous prophecy on the island of Patmos.

Around the year 67, the Book of Revelation (Apocalypse) of the holy Apostle John the Theologian was written. In it, according to Christians, the secrets of the fate of the Church and the end of the world are revealed.

In this work, Hieronymus Bosch illustrates the words of the saint: “Behold the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.”

John the Baptist or John the Baptist - according to the Gospels, the closest predecessor of Jesus Christ, who predicted the coming of the Messiah. He lived in the desert as an ascetic, then preached baptism of repentance for the Jews. He baptized Jesus Christ in the waters of the Jordan, then was beheaded due to the machinations of the Jewish princess Herodias and her daughter Salome.

Saint Christopher 1505. Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam.

Saint Christopher is depicted as a giant carrying a blessing Child across the river - an episode directly following from his life

Saint Christopher is a martyr saint revered by the Catholic and Orthodox churches, who lived in the 3rd century.

One of the legends says that Christopher was a Roman of enormous stature, who originally bore the name Reprev.

One day a little boy asked him to carry him across the river. In the middle of the river he became so heavy that Christopher was afraid that they would both drown. The boy told him that he was Christ and carried with him all the burdens of the world. Then Jesus baptized Reprev in the river, and he received his new name - Christopher, “carrying Christ.” Then the Child told Christopher that he could stick a branch into the ground. This branch miraculously grew into a fruitful tree. This miracle converted many to faith. Enraged by this, the local ruler imprisoned Christopher, where, after much torment, he suffered a martyr's death.

In the composition, Bosch significantly enhances the role of those around Christ negative characters, bringing to the fore the images of the robbers. The artist constantly turned to the motive of saving a world full of evil through the self-sacrifice of Christ. If at the first stage of creativity main theme Bosch was a criticism of human vices, then, being a mature master, he strives to create an image positive hero, embodying it in images of Christ and saints.

The Mother of God sits majestically in front of a dilapidated hut. She shows the baby to the wise men, dressed in luxurious clothes. There is no doubt that Bosch deliberately gives the worship of the Magi the character of a liturgical service: this is evidenced by the gifts that the eldest of the “Eastern kings” Balthasar lays at the feet of Mary - a small sculptural group depicts Abraham about to sacrifice his son Isaac; this is a foreshadowing of Christ's sacrifice on the cross.

Hieronymus Bosch often chose the lives of saints as the theme for his paintings. Unlike the traditions of the medieval Bosch painting rarely depicts the miracles they performed and the winning, spectacular episodes of their martyrdom, which delighted the people of that time. The artist glorifies the “quiet” virtues associated with self-absorbed contemplation. In Bosch there are neither holy warriors nor gentle virgins desperately defending their chastity. His heroes are hermits, indulging in pious reflections against the backdrop of landscapes.

Martyrdom of Saint Liberata 1500-1503, Doge's Palace, Venice.

Saint Liberata or Vilgefortis (from Latin Virgo Fortis - Steadfast Virgin; 2nd century) is a Catholic saint, the patroness of girls seeking to get rid of annoying admirers. According to legend, she was the daughter of the Portuguese king, an inveterate pagan, who wanted to marry her to the king of Sicily. However, she did not want to marry any kings because she was a Christian and had taken a vow of celibacy. In an effort to keep her vow, the princess prayed to heaven and found miraculous deliverance - she grew a thick long beard; The Sicilian king did not want to marry such a fearful woman, after which the angry father ordered her to be crucified.

From the passion of Christ in all its cruelty are presented in the painting “Ecce Homo” (“Son of Man before the Crowd”). Bosch depicts Christ being led onto a high podium by soldiers whose exotic headdresses recall their paganism; the negative meaning of what is happening is emphasized by traditional symbols of evil: an owl in a niche, a toad on the shield of one of the warriors. The crowd expresses their hatred of the Son of God with threatening gestures and terrible grimaces.

The vivid authenticity of Bosch’s works, the ability to depict the movements of the human soul, amazing ability to draw a rich man and a beggar, a merchant and a cripple - all this gives him the most important place in the development of genre painting.

Bosch's work seems strangely modern: four centuries later, his influence suddenly appeared in the Expressionist movement and, later, in Surrealism.

(Hieronymous Antoniszoon van Aken)
Part 1

Hieronymus Bosch is an outstanding Dutch painter who intricately combined in his paintings the features of medieval fantasy, folklore, philosophical parables and satire. One of the founders of landscape and genre painting in Europe.

The work of this outstanding Dutch painter remains exciting, mysterious and surprisingly modern. Four centuries after his death, surrealists called Bosch “an honorary professor of nightmares,” believing that he “presented a picture of all the fears of his time ... embodied the delusional worldview of the end of the Middle Ages, full of magic and devilry.”

None of Bosch's surviving works are dated by himself. Therefore, presumably, his first known paintings, which were satirical in nature, date back to the mid-1470s. Created in 1475-1480. the paintings “The Seven Deadly Sins”, “Marriage at Cana”, “The Magician” and “Removing the Stones of Stupidity” (“Operation Stupidity”) are of a pronounced moralizing nature with elements of irony and satire.

It is no coincidence that the Spanish King Philip II ordered the hanging of “The Seven Deadly Sins” in the bedroom of his residence-monastery in El Escorial, so that in his spare time he could indulge in thoughts about sinfulness human nature. Here you can still feel the uncertainty of the stroke young artist, he uses only individual elements of symbolic language, which will later fill all his works.
They are also few in number in the films “Operation Stupidity” and “The Magician,” which ridicule human naivety, which is used by charlatans, including those in monastic robes.

Bosch is even sharper. ridiculed the clergy in the film “Ship of Fools” (1490-1500), where a tipsy nun and monk bawled a song in the company of commoners on a fragile boat driven by a jester.
Sharply condemning the depravity of the clergy, Bosch was still hardly a heretic, as the modern German art critic V. Frengler argued. Although he sought his path to understanding God outside the official church.

This section is based on materials:

"100 famous artists of the 14th-18th centuries.", (Kharkov, publishing house "Folio", 2001)
Louvre-"OLMA-PRESS", Moscow-2003
Prado-"OLMA-PRESS", Moscow-2003
Bosch: Between Heaven and Hell (Basic Series: Art) by Walter Bosing. TASCHEN America, 2000.
The Secret Heresy of Hieronymus Bosch by Lynda Harris. Floris Books, 2002.
Hieronymus Bosch: The Complete Paintings and Drawings by Jos Koldeweij, Paul Vandenbroeck. Harry N. Abrams, 2001.
Websites of museums where the paintings are located

Bosch, Bosch Hieronymus [actually Hieronymus van Aeken], great Dutch painter. He worked mainly in 's-Hertogenbosch in North Flanders. One of the most striking masters of the early Northern Renaissance, Hieronymus Bosch in his multi-figure compositions, paintings on the themes of folk sayings, proverbs and parables (“The Temptation of Saint Anthony”, National Museum of Ancient Art, Lisbon; triptychs “Garden of Delights”, “Adoration of the Magi” - all in the Prado Museum; “Ship of Fools”, Louvre Museum) combined sophisticated medieval fantasy, grotesque demonic images generated by boundless imagination with folklore, satirical and moralizing tendencies, with realistic innovations unusual for the art of his era. Poetic landscape backgrounds, bold life observations, aptly captured by the artist Hieronymus Bosch folk types And everyday scenes prepared the ground for the formation of the Dutch everyday genre and landscape; craving for irony and allegory, for embodiment of the broad picture in a grotesque-satirical form folk life contributed to the formation creative manner Pieter Bruegel the Elder and other artists.

Bosch's style is unique and has no analogues in the Dutch painting tradition. The painting of Hieronymus Bosch is not at all similar to the work of other artists of the time, such as Jan van Eyck or Rogier van der Weyden. The work of Hieronymus Bosch is at the same time innovative and traditional, naive and sophisticated; it fascinates people with a feeling of some kind of mystery known to one artist. “Eminent master” - this is how Bosch was called in 's-Hertogenbosch, to whom the artist remained faithful until the end of his days, although his lifetime fame spread far beyond the borders of his hometown. And after death it increased immeasurably and did not decrease for quite a long time; The master's painting found an ardent admirer in the person of Philip II, King of Spain. Most of the subjects of Bosch's paintings are associated with episodes from the life of Christ or saints opposing vice, or are gleaned from allegories and proverbs about human greed and stupidity.

The vivid authenticity of Bosch's works, the ability to depict the movements of the human soul, the amazing ability to draw a rich man and a beggar, a merchant and a cripple - all this gives him a very important place in the development of genre painting. Subsequently, the world of Bosch’s whimsical images was fueled by the fantastically romantic quest of many artists of the 19th and 20th centuries. Bosch's work seems strangely modern: four centuries later, his influence suddenly appeared in the Expressionist movement and, later, in Surrealism. Many artists of these trends in painting created canvases based on the plot of the painting “The Temptation of St. Anthony.”