Hieronymus Bosch, real name Jeroen Antonison van Aken (Jeroen Anthoniszoon van Aken), was born around 1450 in 's-Hertogenbosch (Brabant). 's-Hertogenbosch is one of the four most major cities Duchy of Brabant, located in the south of modern Holland.
It is from the abbreviated name of its hometown(Den Bosch) was later taken by the pseudonym of the painter, apparently out of the need to somehow separate himself from other representatives of his kind. After all, the van Aken family, which originated from the German city of Aachen, has long been associated with the pictorial craft and numbered at least four generations - the artists were Jan van Aken (Bosch's grandfather) and four of his five sons, including Jerome's father, Anthony. It is assumed that he received his first lessons in painting in the family workshop, which carried out a wide variety of orders - first of all, these were wall paintings, but also gilding. wooden sculpture and even the manufacture of church utensils.
Unfortunately, there is very little information about the biography of the artist. There are no letters, no fixed memoirs of the artist and his relatives, and none of his paintings bears a date. Bosch's biographers have at their disposal only meager documents from the city archive. In addition, in the twentieth century, a lot of pseudo-biographies appeared, which only confuse and misinform. In the aforementioned documents, the name of Jeroen van Aken appears for the first time in 1474: Bosch is mentioned along with his two brothers and sister.
Bosch lived and worked mainly in his native 's-Hertogenbosch. According to information from the city archive, his father died in 1478, and Bosch inherited his art workshop. Around that time, Jeroen van Aken married Aleith Goyarts van der Meerveen. She came from a very wealthy family and was very older than husband. About him financial position they say about fourteen documents written in the period 1474 - 1498: by the end of the 15th century, Bosch was considered one of the richest inhabitants of 's-Hertogenbosch. Thus, he is conditionally separated from those artists who created for the sake of money, because Bosch did not need them.
In the image: the monument to Hieronymus Bosch in Hetogenbosch
It is also known that the artist joined the Brotherhood of Our Lady (“Zoete Lieve Vrouw”), a religious society that arose in 's-Hertogenbosch in 1318. It is from the surviving documents of the Brotherhood that several exact facts from the life of an artist.
The Brotherhood of the Virgin, which exists to this day, in the time of Bosch played very important role in the life of 's-Hertogenbosch. The object of worship of the members of the Brotherhood was miraculous image Mother of God, located in the city church. By the way, the majestic St. John's Cathedral still adorns the central square of 's-Hertogenbosch.
According to the documents, Bosch appeared in the lists of members of the Brotherhood in 1486. But even earlier, in 1480, his name is mentioned with regard to the purchase by Bosch of two wings of the old altar, work on which his father did not have time to complete.
In 1488, he was invited as a guest of honor to the annual feast of the Brotherhood and at the same time became an honorary member of the organization. Jeroen van Aken was the only artist to have been elected an honorary member of the Brotherhood in the entire history of the organization, and there is no doubt that he enjoyed great respect among the adherents of the Brotherhood. (By official rules Only a person with the education of a theologian could become an honorary member of the Brotherhood, but there were exceptions).
The central part of the triptych "The Temptation of St. Anthony"
In 1498 or 1499, Bosch presided over the annual feast of the "Swan Brothers", on whose order he performed some work from decorating the festive processions and ritual sacraments of the Brotherhood to painting the altar doors for the Brotherhood Chapel in the Cathedral of St. John. Unfortunately, Bosch's work for the Brotherhood has not survived.
Through his membership in the Brotherhood, Bosch acquired various connections and was the first to receive orders from noble compatriots. For example, from the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Handsome, who, in the year of his accession, ordered the artist a large altarpiece. Of this triptych, called The Last Judgment, only a deformed fragment has survived. The artist worked for the Spanish Queen Isabella of Castile, and for the sister of Philip and the regent of the Netherlands Margaret of Austria.
The name of the artist disappears from city documents for four years - from 1499 to 1503, it is assumed that the artist spent this time in Italy. In confirmation of this, the assumptions of some researchers testify that the painting “Three Philosophers” (circa 1500, Venice) by Giorgione depicts the author himself, Leonardo da Vinci and Hieronymus Bosch.
The last years of his Bosch life spent, most likely, in 's-Hertogenbosch and devoted them to work for the Brotherhood. The last mention of the artist in the books of the Swan Brothers is dated August 9, 1516. On this day, in the Cathedral of St. John, a solemn funeral mass was held for "Brother Jerome". The solemnity of this ceremony confirms Bosch's closest connection with the Brotherhood of Our Lady.
Fragment of the triptych "The Garden of Earthly Delights"
Bosch's art has always had a tremendous attraction. And today, some consider Bosch to be something like a surrealist of the 15th century, who extracted his unprecedented images from the depths of the subconscious, others believe that Bosch's art reflects medieval "esoteric disciplines" - alchemy, astrology, black magic.
Art historians attribute to the surviving heritage of Hieronymus Bosch 25 paintings and eight drawings, which are stored in the most different museums peace. He had copyists, followers, imitators. But the world in the paintings of Bosch still defies any explanations and theories, and remains atypical for European painting XV century.
(circa 1460-1516)
Hieronymus Bosch (real name - Hieron van Aken) - one of the most talented artists 15th century. The biography of Hieronymus Bosch is not too complicated and confusing. He spent almost his entire life at home - in the city of 's-Hertogenbosch in North Brabant. Hieronymus Bosch began to teach the art of his grandfather and father, professional painters. Then he visited the Dutch cities of Harlem and Delft, where he perfected his art.
Having become a master painter, in 1480 he returned to his homeland, and thanks to his popularity, already in 1481 he married one of the richest brides in the city. From that time on, the artist got the opportunity to work for himself, but he also had to fulfill traditional orders. Gradually, the work of Hieronymus Bosch spread far beyond the borders of his hometown: the artist was approached with orders from everywhere, including the kings of France and Spain. Every genius has his own secret, and Bosch is no exception. The secret of Hieronymus Bosch is that he was a schizophrenic.
Paintings by Hieronymus Bosch
Paintings by Hieronymus Bosch are generally undated; now we can only roughly outline the main milestones of his work.
Seven deadly sins
One of his famous early work- painting "Seven deadly sins". In the center of the picture is the figure of Christ, under which is written: "Beware, beware, God sees." Around are images of seven mortal (capable of finally destroying the soul) sins - gluttony, vanity, voluptuousness, anger, laziness, self-interest and envy. Bosch finds an example from life for each of the sins, which is well understood by the viewer: anger illustrated by a scene of a drunken fight: envy appears in the form of a shopkeeper, looking angrily in the direction of a neighbor; greed embodies a judge taking a bribe. It is this picture that shows the death of the most ordinary people;
However, at the edges of the composition there are images of the Last Judgment, Hell, Paradise and Death, as if once again warning people not to commit mortal sins, because they are always followed by retribution.
Carriage of hay
The creation of this painting began in 1500 and lasted about 2 years. At this time, Hieronymus Bosch was already considered a "mature" artist. In the center of the composition is a haystack, around which people are trying to grab at least something from it; most likely, the artist took as a basis the old Dutch proverb "The world is a haystack, and everyone tries to grab as much as he can from it."
The picture is painted on a three-leaved altar, external side surfaces which is described as a symbol of earthly life - a wandering ragged wanderer, who notices all sorts of (both minor and larger) troubles and manifestations of evil on his way.
growls at him angry dog, a passerby is robbed, an execution is carried out on a hill, and black crows are circling over the carrion, but, despite all this, a couple of peasants are dancing to the bagpipes.
In a more expanded form, the image of the sinful world is shown by the open altar - here Hieronymus Bosch depicts not a small part, but the whole path earth history, starting with the rebellion of Satan against God (the scene of the battle in heaven and the overthrow of the rebels), ending with the end of the earthly world.
In the center of the triptych is the earthly world, which personifies a huge cart of hay, which means the short-lived temptations of the world: power, wealth, pleasures, and the like.
In the painting "The Seven Deadly Sins", Hieronymus Bosch expanded the proverb by depicting the harmonious peace of nature in the background, in the sky above which the lonely figure of Christ peeps.
Garden of Delights
At the beginning of the 16th century, Hieronymus Bosch created the "Garden of Delights" - the most famous and mysterious painting. The very traditional stories of the creation of the world, Hell and Paradise, were taken as the basis of the picture, but on the whole the composition turned into something very original. It is located on a three-leaved altar, on the outer surface of the wings of which the Earth is depicted in the form of a transparent sphere on the 3rd day of its creation. The inner left part of the altar wings continues the theme of the creation of the world (4-7 days of creation). On the right side of the wings, Hell is depicted, in the center of which is a “tree of death” growing from a frozen lake. In the center of the painting “The Garden of Delights”, Bosch depicted the so-called “garden of love”, along which many couples in love stroll. The garden shines with its beauty - naked men and women swim in stunning ponds, ride various animals (panthers, deer, griffins).
The painting "Ascension of the Righteous" ("Ascent to the Empyrean") by the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch was painted in oil on a board, probably in 1500-1504. Genre - religious painting. Probably, "Ascension of the Righteous" was part of the "Blessed and Damned" polyptych. […]
This painting was created by an artist from the Netherlands. It has a fairly straightforward title "Death of a miser." The main feature of the image is the style of placing the picture in space. The painting is strongly elongated vertically, which gives the impression of an altarpiece. […]
Hieronymus Bosch, son of hereditary artists, immigrants from Germany. Bosch is a pseudonym that was formed from the name of the city of 's-Hertogenbosch (translated as the ducal forest). The workshop of his parents was engaged in wall paintings, gilding of sculptures, […]
Painting "Magician" Flemish painter Hieronymus Bosch, unfortunately, has not been preserved. Today you can admire only copies of this work. The most accurate of them is the work that is housed in the museum of the city of Saint-Germain-en-Laye. Date written […]
At the time of the decline of the Renaissance and the heyday of the Inquisition, society was filled with disturbing prejudices and superstitions. The artists who worked in these rebellious times tried their best to clarify their view of the world. Hieronymus Bosch writes from 1500 […]
I. Bosch created several triptychs on biblical themes, one of the latest is the Adoration of the Magi. The main part of the work shows the main plot. The Mother of God is located in front of the house and shows the baby. The Magi lay gifts at the feet of a woman. […]
The art of Hieronymus Bosch has always been the subject of talk and gossip. They tried to decipher him, but most of his works are still fraught with mysteries, the answers to which we are unlikely to receive in the near future.
The Garden of Earthly Delights. The triptych is dedicated to the sin of voluptuousness.
Initially, it was believed that Bosch's paintings served to entertain the crowd and did not carry great sense. Modern scientists have come to the conclusion that something more is hidden in the works of Bosch and many secrets have not yet been revealed.
Last Judgment
Bosch is considered by many to be a surrealist of the 15th century. His technique is called alla prima. This is the method oil painting, in which the first strokes create the final texture.
Carriage of hay
For Bosch's contemporaries, his paintings meant much more than for the modern viewer. For the most part, this is due to the symbolism of the paintings, most of which is lost and cannot be deciphered, since the symbols changed over time and what they meant during Bosch's life is now, if not impossible, then at least quite difficult to say.
Carrying the Cross
Most of Bosch's symbols were alchemical. At the same time, Bosch gives alchemy a sinister connotation.
Prodigal son. The painting signifies final stage in the artist's work and is distinguished by a strict and balanced composition, subtle nuances of a subdued and laconic range of colors.
Bosch worked on the edge of the imagination, and although he is considered a master of the "inimitable", many subsequent artists tried to copy him.
The Adoration of the Magi is the last of Hieronymus Bosch's triptychs, named after the plot of the central part.
Hell.
Concert in an egg.
Death of a whore.
Hieronymus Bosch is one of the most mysterious artists, about which very little is known, but whose work continues to excite the imagination.
Biography of Hieronymus Bosch
Surprisingly, very little is known about the life of the artist Hieronymus Bosch. He comes from a family of hereditary painters van Aken. The future maestro of painting was born in the small Dutch town of Hertogenbosch. The exact date of birth is unknown (according to assumptions - around 1450). His life path did not differ in any special zigzags, vicissitudes of fate. Bosch married favorably, entered the leadership of the Brotherhood of Our Lady, had recognition and many orders. Therefore, one of cornerstones the question remains, why so much drama in the painting of Hieronymus Bosch? Neither before nor after him has anyone so truthfully laid bare the world human vices and passions. Bosch turned art into a mirror of the modern world.
The artist began his career by painting altars and temple elements. By nature, he was a cheerful, sociable and positive person. When and at what moment in his head began to appear strange images, which subsequently found reflection in the paintings? In what hidden corners of consciousness did the demonic world begin to be born, filled with strange creatures? Probably no one can answer this question. Because of his visions, colleagues called the artist "the honorary professor of nightmares." He really depicted the other world with special detail, his works are overflowing with symbolism. At first glance, it seems that the paintings were created by a religious person to intimidate sinners. But the researchers came to the conclusion that in the canvases, which, by the way, the author never signed for some reason, much more deep meaning. He flipped ordinary world upside down and turned it inside out. And what is most paradoxical, Bosch's paintings are still relevant, modern and timely, although more than five centuries have passed since the death of their creator.
Works by Hieronymus Bosch
Most of the works created by this great Dutch master have unfortunately been lost. Only some of the paintings by Hieronymus Bosch have come down to us with names that speak for themselves. Consider the most famous canvases, which contain the quintessence of the artist's attitude.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Garden of Earthly Delights"
This unique triptych was probably created between 1500 and 1515 for years. The author showed the life of mankind, who made a choice in favor of sin. The left side of the triptych is a picture of paradise, the right side shows hell. The central part is devoted to earthly life, in which a person loses paradise. There are suggestions that the artist depicted himself in a part of hell.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Last Judgment" Another triptych, the largest of the surviving works of the painter. On the left side - the image of paradise, in the center - a picture doomsday, and on right wing- the terrible fate of sinners in hell. This work is considered one of the most frightening paintings of hellish torments. Bosch's contemporaries were convinced that the author saw the monsters of the underworld with his own eyes.
Hieronymus Bosch "Ship of Fools" The canvas "Ship of Fools" is considered the upper part of one of the wings of the triptych, which did not survive. The painting “Allegory of Gluttony and Lust” is identified with the lower part. In this work, as in many others, the author exposes and ridicules human vices. Among the passengers of the ship are representatives of various social strata, symbolizing vanity, drunkenness, debauchery, etc.
Hieronymus Bosch "Retrieving the Stone of Stupidity" This is enough strange picture, the meaning of which they are still trying to decipher. The canvas depicts a surgical operation, which for some reason is carried out under open sky. On the head of the doctor is an inverted funnel, and on the head of a nun is a book. According to one version, these objects symbolize the uselessness of knowledge in the face of stupidity, according to another - charlatanism.
Hieronymus Bosch "Hay Cart" In the triptych "Hay Cart" Bosch's favorite theme is repeated again - the theme of sin and human vices. A huge hay cart is pulled by seven monsters, symbolizing various vices - cruelty, greed, pride, etc. And around - a lot of people trying to grab hay for themselves. Above all this, on a golden cloud, the Almighty is watching.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Temptation of Saint Anthony" This is one of the most famous works Bosch. The triptych is made on wooden boards, which depicts a well famous history about the temptation of St. Anthony during his stay in the desert. The images of the picture are strange and unusual, and main idea- V eternal struggle good and evil when the demons try to bring down the person and the true path.
Despite the name, to the biblical parable about prodigal son this work has only an indirect relation, therefore, the name "Traveler" or "Pilgrim" is more often used. The plot is based on one of Bosch's favorite themes - the theme of temptations on the path of life.
"Nesenie cross"
Hieronymus Bosch Carrying the Cross This work is one of the most recognizable, original " business card"of the artist, in which he managed to show the true essence of human nature, what people really are. However, there are disputes about this painting, as a number of researchers believe that Bosch is not the author of this canvas.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Magician" This work early period work of Hieronymus Bosch. Like the rest of the works of the great master, this picture is full of symbolism and mysteries, and a very deep meaning lies behind the uncomplicated plot of a charlatan-thimblemaker.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Seven Deadly Sins" Another painting by Bosch, the authorship of which is being questioned due to the imperfection of execution. Of the 11 fragments (the image of 7 sins and 4 last things), according to the researchers, only two were made by the artist personally. But the fact that the idea of the painting belongs to Bosch is beyond doubt.
Hieronymus Bosch "Adoration of the Magi" One of the few light works of Bosch, which, moreover, is perfectly preserved. The Adoration of the Magi triptych was commissioned by a burgher from 's-Hertogenbosch on the occasion of his wedding. Both the customer himself and his bride, as well as their patron saints - St. Peter and St. Agnes - are depicted on the outer wings.
Hieronymus Bosch "The Blessed and the Damned" The Blessed and the Damned is a polyptych consisting of four paintings: earthly paradise” and “Ascent to the Empyrean” on the left side and “Hell” on right side. It is believed that the central part of the work may have been lost. The most famous is the second fragment, in which angels lead the souls of the righteous through a conical tunnel to eternal bliss.
Hieronymus Bosch "Self-portrait" Bosch's self-portrait, written in pencil on sagnin, is small in size - only 40 by 28 cm. The drawing is stored in municipal library in Arras in France.
Copies of all the surviving works of the great painter can be seen in his hometown, where the museum is based. In 2016, an exhibition was held here, dedicated to creativity famous countryman. The history of this exhibition is as incredible as the life of the artist. It was she who formed the basis of the film "Hieronymus Bosch: Inspired by the Devil."
His work continues to be explored, but it seems to me that the mysteries of Hieronymus Bosch are unlikely to be solved, at least in the near future.
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