Jeroen Antonison van Aken (Dutch. Jeroen Anthoniszoon van Aken), better known as Hieronymus Bosch (Dutch. Jheronimus Bosch [ˌɦijeˈroːnimʏs ˈbɔs], lat. Hieronymus Bosch; around 1450-1516) is a Dutch hereditary artist, one of the largest masters of the Northern Renaissance period . Of the artist's work, about ten paintings and twelve drawings have been preserved. He was ordained a member of the Brotherhood of Our Lady (Dutch Illustre Lieve Vrouwe Broederschap; 1486); considered one of the most enigmatic painters in history Western art. In Bosch's hometown, 's-Hertogenbosch, Holland, the Bosch Art Center has been opened, displaying copies of all of 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 the pictorial craft - the artists were Jan van Aken (grandfather of Bosch, 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 painting lessons 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 life of the artist, preserved in the city archive, his father died in 1478, and Bosch inherited his art workshop. The van Akens' workshop carried out a wide variety of orders - primarily wall paintings, but also gilding. wooden sculpture and even the manufacture of church utensils. “Hieronimus the painter” (according to a document of 1480) took a pseudonym for 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 by 1482 from Valois to the Habsburgs.

Around 1480, the artist marries Aleith Goyarts van der Meervene, whom he apparently knew from childhood. She came from a wealthy merchant family in 's-Hertogenbosch. Through this marriage, Bosch becomes an influential burgher in his hometown. They didn't have 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 laity. 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: as a painter, he was entrusted with various orders, from decorating festive processions and ritual sacraments of the Brotherhood to painting the altar doors for the Brotherhood's chapel in the Cathedral of St. John (1489, lost) or even models 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 Handsome, for the triptych " Last Judgment».

The painter died on August 9, 1516, the funeral service was performed in the aforementioned chapel of the cathedral. The solemnity of this ceremony confirms Bosch's closest connection with the Brotherhood of Our Lady.

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

Bosch's art has always had a tremendous attraction. Previously, it was believed that the devilry in the paintings of Bosch is intended only to amuse the audience, 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 made many attempts to explain its meaning, find its origins, give it an interpretation. Some consider Bosch to be something like a surrealist of the 15th century, who extracted his unprecedented images from the depths of the subconscious, and, calling his name, invariably recall 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 thirteenth century but flourished throughout Europe several centuries later. However, this hypothesis is rejected by most scholars, since there is no evidence to support the existence of a sect in the Netherlands during Bosch's lifetime.

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(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 works is the painting "The 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 of earthly history, starting with Satan's rebellion against God (the battle scene 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).

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 was not distinguished by 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 of 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 a demonic world filled with strange creatures begin to be born? 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, a much deeper meaning is hidden. 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 "Garden earthly pleasures»

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 is an image of paradise, in the center is a picture of the Last Judgment, 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 story about the temptation of St. Anthony during his stay in the desert. The images of the picture are strange and unusual, and main idea- in eternal struggle good and evil when the demons try to bring down the person and the true path.

Despite the name, this work has only an indirect relation to the biblical parable of the prodigal son, 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, a kind of "calling 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.

Category Hieronymus Bosch

Paintings by Hieronymus Bosch

Bosch, Bos (Bosch) Hieronymus [actually Hieronymus van Aeken, Hieronymus van Aeken] (circa 1450/60-1516), a great Dutch painter. He worked mainly in 's-Hertogenbosch in North Flanders. One of the brightest masters of the early Northern Renaissance.

Hieronymus Bosch in his multi-figured compositions, paintings on themes folk sayings, proverbs and parables combined sophisticated medieval fantasy, grotesque demonic images generated by boundless imagination with realistic innovations unusual for the art of his era.
Bosch's style is unique and unparalleled in the Dutch painting tradition.
The work of Hieronymus Bosch is both innovative and traditional, naive and sophisticated; it captivates people with a sense of some secret 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 native city.

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things

1475-1480 years. Prado Museum, Madrid.

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

A composition of symmetrically arranged circles and two unfolding scrolls, where quotations from Deuteronomy with deep pessimism prophesy about the fate of mankind. In the circles - Bosch's first image of Hell and the interpretation of Heavenly Paradise that exists in the singular. The seven deadly sins are depicted in the segments of God's all-seeing eye in the center of the composition, they are given in an emphatically didactic manner.

This work is one of the clearest and most moralizing works of Bosch and is provided with detailed, clarifying quotations from Deuteronomy depicted. Inscribed on the scrolls are the words: "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 I will see what their end will be.”- determine 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 are shamelessly having fun with the peasants in a boat with a jester as a 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 Glutland", personify human vices. The grotesque ugliness of the heroes is embodied by the author in shining colors. Bosch is both real and symbolic. By itself, the world created by the artist is beautiful, but stupidity and evil reign in it.

Most of the plots of Bosch's paintings are connected with episodes from the life of Christ or saints who resist vice, or are gleaned from allegories and proverbs about human greed and stupidity.

Saint Anthony 1500s. Prado Museum, Madrid.

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

Bosch depicted the "earthly" temptation of St. Anthony, when the devil, distracting him from meditation, tempted him with earthly blessings.
His round back, pose, closed with fingers woven into a lock, speak of an extreme degree of immersion in meditation.
Even the devil, in the form of a pig, calmly froze next to Antony, 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 of a person thinking about the nature of Evil, about the best and the worst, about the desired and the forbidden, resulted in a very accurate picture vice. Anthony, with his strength, which he receives by the grace of God, resists a flurry of vicious visions, but can an ordinary mortal resist all this?

In the picture " Prodigal son» Hieronymus Bosch interpreted his ideas about life
The hero of the picture - skinny, in a torn dress and different shoes, withered and as if flattened on a plane - is presented in a strange stopped and yet continuing movement.
It is almost written off from nature - in any case, European art before Bosch did not know such an image of poverty - but in the dry emaciation of its forms there is something of an insect.
This is the life that a person leads, with which, even leaving it, he is connected. Only nature remains pure, infinite. The dull color of the painting expresses Bosch's idea - gray, almost grisaille tones unite both people and nature. This unity is natural and natural
.

Bosch in the picture depicts Jesus Christ among the raging crowd, densely filling the space around him with vicious, triumphant physiognomies.
For Bosch, the image of Christ is the personification of boundless mercy, spiritual purity, patience and simplicity. He is opposed by the powerful forces of evil. They subject him to terrible torments, physical and spiritual. Christ shows man an example of overcoming all difficulties.
In terms of its artistic qualities, Carrying the Cross contradicts all pictorial canons. Bosch depicted a scene whose space has lost all connection with reality. Heads and torsos emerge from the darkness and disappear into the darkness.
Deformity, both external and internal, he translates into some higher aesthetic category, which six centuries later continues to excite the minds and feelings.

In the painting by Hieronymus Bosch “The Crowning with Thorns”, Jesus, surrounded by four tormentors, 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 depicted tormentors of Christ - stands out among the symbolic numbers with a special richness 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 the tormentors of Christ are the bearers of the four temperaments, that is, all varieties of people. The two faces above are considered the embodiment of a phlegmatic and melancholic temperament, below - a sanguine and choleric one.

The impassive Christ is placed in the center of the composition, but the main thing here is not him, 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 Altar "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, who, by the unshakable firmness of faith, allows him to resist the onslaught of enemies - the World, the Flesh, the Devil.

The painting "The Flight and Fall of St. Anthony" is the left wing of the altar "The Temptation of St. Anthony" and tells about the struggle of the saint with the Devil. The artist returned to this theme more than once in his work. Saint Anthony is an instructive example of how to resist earthly temptations, to be on your guard all the time, not to accept everything that seems to be true, and to know that seduction can lead to God's curse.

The Capture of Jesus and the Carrying of the Cross 1505-1506 years. National Museum, Lisbon.

The outer doors of the triptych "The Temptation of St. Anthony"
Left outer wing "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 absolutely inevitable, the intrepid steadfastness 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 "Garden of Earthly Delights" got its name "Musical Hell" because of the images of tools used as instruments of torture

The victim becomes the executioner, the prey the hunter, and this is the best way to convey the chaos that reigns in Hell, where the normal relationships that once existed in the world are reversed, and the most ordinary and harmless objects of everyday life, growing to monstrous sizes, turn into instruments of torture.

Hieronymus Bosch Altar "The 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 inhabits a fantastic landscape with many real as well as unreal species of flora and fauna.
In the foreground of this landscape, depicting the antediluvian world, is not a scene of the temptation or expulsion of Adam and Eve from Paradise, but their union by God.
He holds Eve by the hand in the manner of a wedding 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. Glittering in the mud gems, as well as fantastic beasts, probably inspired by medieval performances about India, which captivated the imagination of Europeans with its miracles 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 altar "Garden of Earthly Delights" - the most famous triptych of Hieronymus Bosch, which got its name from the theme of the central part, is dedicated to the sin of voluptuousness - Luxuria.
Do not assume that a crowd of naked lovers, according to Bosch's plan, was to become the apotheosis of sinless sexuality. For medieval morality, sexual intercourse, which in the 20th century was finally learned to be perceived as a natural part of human being, was more often proof that a person had lost his angelic nature and fell low. At best, intercourse was viewed 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 shutters "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 emerged vegetation is depicted.
This rare, if not unique, plot demonstrates the depth and power of Bosch's imagination.

Hieronymus Bosch Altar "Hay Cart", 1500-1502

Paradise, triptych Carriage of hay

The left shutter of Hieronymus Bosch's triptych "The Hay Cart" is dedicated to the theme of the fall of the forefathers, Adam and Eve. The traditional, cult nature of this composition is beyond doubt: it includes four episodes from the biblical Book of Genesis - the overthrow of the rebellious angels from heaven, the creation of Eve, the fall, the expulsion from Paradise. All scenes are distributed in the space of a single landscape depicting Paradise.

Carriage of hay 1500-1502, Prado Museum, Madrid.

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

Hieronymus Bosch's triptych "Hay Carriage" is considered the first of the great satirical-legal allegories of the mature period of the artist's work.
Against the background of an endless landscape, a cavalcade is moving behind a huge hay cart, and among them are the emperor and the pope (with recognizable features of Alexander VI). Representatives of other classes - peasants, townspeople, clerics and nuns - grab armfuls of hay from the cart or fight over it. Christ, surrounded by a golden radiance, is indifferently and aloofly watching the feverish human bustle from above.
No one, except for 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 "Hay Cart". The image of Hell is found in Bosch's work much more often than Paradise. The artist fills the space with apocalyptic fires and the ruins of architectural buildings, making one think of Babylon - the Christian quintessence of the demonic city, traditionally opposed to the "City of heavenly Jerusalem". In his version of Hell, Bosch relied on literary sources, coloring the motifs gleaned from there with the play of his own imagination.

The outer shutters of the altar "Hay Cart" have their own name " life path”and in terms of craftsmanship are inferior to the image on the inner doors and were probably completed by apprentices and students of Bosch
The Path of Bosch's pilgrim runs through a hostile and treacherous world, and all the dangers that it poses 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 tongues are often compared to dog barking). 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" afterlife", part of the altar "Last Judgment", 1500-1504

Earthly Paradise, composition Vision of the afterlife

AT mature period Bosch's creativity moves from image visible world to the imaginary generated by his indefatigable fantasy. Visions appear to him as if in a dream, because the images of Bosch are devoid of physicality, they whimsically 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 control common sense, the kingdom of the Antichrist. The artist translated the prophecies that spread in Western Europe by the beginning of the 16th century - the time when it was predicted End of the world,

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

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

Depicted, accompanied by angels, march to the source of life. Those who have already been saved look up to heaven. In Ascension to the Empyrean, disembodied souls, having got 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 the revealed divinity."

The 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 river, composition Visions of the underworld 1500-1504, Doge's Palace, Venice.

In the painting "Hell's River" from the top of a steep cliff, a column of fire beats into the sky, and below, in the water, the souls of sinners helplessly flounder. 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, which pulls him by the hand. The Last Judgment - main topic running through all of Bosch's work. He depicts the Last Judgment as a world catastrophe, a night illuminated by flashes of hellish flames, against which monstrous monsters torture sinners.

In the time of Bosch, clairvoyants and astrologers argued that before the second coming of Christ and the Last Judgment took place, the Antichrist would rule the world. Many then believed that this time had already come. The Apocalypse became extremely popular - the Revelation of the Apostle John the Theologian, written during the period of religious persecution in Ancient Rome, a vision of horrific catastrophes to which God will subject the world for the sins of people. Everything will perish in the cleansing flame.

The painting “Removing 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, put on the surgeon's head in mockery, a jug on his belt, a patient's bag pierced by a dagger.

Marriage at Cana

In the traditional plot of the first miracle created by Christ - the transformation of water into wine - Bosch introduces new elements of mystery. A psalm-reader who stands with his hands upraised in front of the bride and groom, a musician in an improvised gallery, a master of ceremonies pointing to fine workmanship ceremonial dishes on display, a servant who faints - all these figures are completely unexpected and unusual for the depicted plot.

Magician 1475 - 1480s. Museum Boymans van Beiningen.

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

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

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

great Dutch artist. Founder of the European landscape and genre painting. Born 1460 - died 1516 Full name— Hieronymus Antoniszon van Aken. The name Bosch came from the fact that, for some unknown reason, he signed all his works with the abbreviated name of his hometown of 's-Hertogenbosch - Den Bosch. In his paintings, he combined things that no one had connected before him. On one canvas, you can find features of medieval fantasy, mysticism, folklore, parables, philosophy, etc. That is why his name has passed through the centuries and in our time, after five hundred years, he is known and admired for his work.

Jerome was born in big family, almost all of whose members were artists not in the first generation. Grandfather, father, two uncles, brother - all were artists and wood carvers. Bosch studied professional painting in the Dutch cities of Haarlem and Delft.

His work excites and attracts, it is very mysterious and, oddly enough, absolutely modern. Hieronymus Bosch is called none other than the Honorary Professor of Nightmares. Indeed, Bosch embodied in his canvases all the fears of his time, which surprisingly resonate with ours, the worldview of the Middle Ages with their demons, devilry, witches, etc. All this was embodied in the work of the great painter, and now through his eyes we can look at a bygone time. by the most famous paintings Dutch steel artist Garden of Heavenly Delights, Extraction of the Stone of Stupidity, Seven Deadly Sins etc.

It is not surprising that many connoisseurs of painting see Bosch as a forerunner of surrealism and other avant-garde movements. In his creative personality he combined artists who were not yet born at that time and Edvard Munch. Rumors have reached our days, or, more precisely, hypotheses that Hieronymus Bosch was not just an artist. In addition to his passion for painting, he was engaged in alchemy, spiritualism, astrology, the occult sciences, and used hallucinogens. If you adhere to this opinion, then his images become clear, where these amazing scenes and terrible chimeras, instructive irony and terrible satire came from.

Bosch is also valued for the way he built perspective, solved spatial problems in his paintings. Its foreground mainly consists of heterogeneous figures that are lined up in a chain or wavy lines. In almost all the paintings, one can notice that the viewer is forced to look at everything that happens as if from above, as an outside observer from somewhere in the sky. This is very uncharacteristic for his time, but for such figures as this artist, there is nothing characteristic. Trendsetters usually don't follow any rules.

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Allegory of gluttony and lust

Prodigal son

Marriage at Cana

Magician

John the Baptist in the wilderness

Extraction of stones of stupidity

Prayer of Saint Jerome

Martyrdom of Saint Liberata

Carrying the Cross

Carrying the Cross to Golgotha

crucifixion of christ

The Garden of Earthly Delights

The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things