Hieronymus Bosch was a Dutch painter known for his surreal and detailed portrayals of sin and Hell. He came from a family of artists and spent his entire life in the vicinity of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Bosch was a successful painter in his lifetime and received frequent commissions, but only seven of his extant paintings are signed. His most famous work, The Garden of Earthly Delights, is a triptych depicting the creation of the world when closed and the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Earthly Delights, and Hell when open. The central panel is a matter of conjecture among art critics. Bosch died on August 9, 1516.
Hieronymus Bosch was a 15th- and 16th-century Dutch painter known for his portrayals of Hell and human sin. His paintings are whimsical, finely detailed, and widely considered a forerunner of Surrealism. The symbolism in his work has fascinated and baffled viewers for centuries.
Not much is known about Bosch’s life, as he did not keep a diary. A self-portrait painted near the end of his life suggests that he died in his 60s, so his birth has been estimated at 1450. The painter took his surname from his hometown of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. Jheronimus van Aken was born.
Hieronymus Bosch came from a family of artists. His grandfather, Jan van Aken, was a painter, as were four of his five children. Anthonius van Aken, father of Hieronymus, was the artistic advisor of the Brotherhood of Our Lady, a prestigious religious group based in ‘s-Hertogenbosch.
Hieronymus Bosch spent his entire life in the vicinity of ‘s-Hertogenbosch. In her 50s, he married Aleyt Goyaerts van den Meerveen and moved into an estate he had inherited in nearby Oirschot. In 1488 Bosch became a member of the Brotherhood of Our Lady. He died on August 9, 1516.
Bosch was a successful painter in his lifetime and received frequent commissions. He signed only seven of his extant paintings and many other artists followed his style. Fewer than 25 works are definitively attributed to Bosch.
The great majority of Bosch’s paintings were religious or allegorical in nature, often focusing on human frailty and damnation. In the fashion of his day, Bosch painted a series of triptychs, three-panel paintings often used as altarpieces. His most famous work, The Garden of Earthly Delights, is a triptych depicting the creation of the world when closed and the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Earthly Delights and Hell when open.
The Garden of Earthly Delights is full of Bosch’s surreal images. Art critics have never reached consensus on the interpretation of the central panel, which shows nude figures leaping in a fantastical setting. It is a matter of conjecture whether the central panel is intended as a warning against frivolity or as a utopia that humanity has lost or will gain in the future.
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