Hieronymus Bosch - Essay Example

Hieronymus Bosch Hieronymus Bosch (own Jheronimus van Aken) was a Dutch painter who lived from about 1450 until around August 9th, 1516, when he was buried (Bosing 14). He became most famous for his painting “The Garden of Earthly Delights”, with weird symbolism and unknown strange objects. Although he was quite a famous painter during his lifetime, and even got orders from the dukedom in Brussels, not very much is known about him (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). Hieronymus van Aken was born around the year 1450 in the city of ’s-Hertogenbosch, better known as Den Bosch, in the south of The Netherlands. Nobody knows exactly when he was born, because his birth was never documented. He was the fourth child in a family of five and was born immediately into a family of painters (“Bosch” 8). His great-grandfather (Thomas van Aken), grandfather (Jan van Aken) and father (Anthonis van Aken), his brother Goessen and at least three of his uncles were painters. The workshop of the Van Aken family was first on The Vughterstraat in Den Bosch, later they moved the workshop to De Markt, the market (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). Family Almost nothing is known about the youth of Hieronymus Bosch. Suspected is that he studied and worked in the atelier of his father (DK Publishing 9). The only facts that did surface about his personal life were found in official documents and reports of the city of Den Bosch. In 1478, Hieronymus’ father died and he and his brother Goossen took over the workshop (DK Publishing 8). This atelier was located in “In Sint Thoenis”, a building his father had bought in 1462, on the eastside of the Markt in Den Bosch. On January 3rd 1481, Hieronymus renounced his part of the parental house, what he left to his brother Goossen, after his brother Jan and sister Herbertke had done the same. On June 15th 1481, Hieronymus got married to Aleid van de Meervenne. He married above his class and improved his financial status. Due to this marriage, he probably got possession of the building “Inden Salvatoer”, which is located on the northside of the Markt, where he developed a new workshop. The marriage stayed childless (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). The Naming of the Master Painter As from 1490, Hieronymus signed his work with ‘Jheronimus Bosch’ and in 1504 he was mentioned in the accounts of the city of Den Bosch under the name of ‘Jeronimus Van Aeken’. In 1510, he was mentioned as ‘Jheronimus van Aken, who calls himself Jheronimus Bosch’ (Bosing 14). This could indicate that Hieronymus was also known outside of Den Bosch, or that he lived outside for a while. Remarkable is that he was called a ‘master’ only after his death, although his brother was called a master long before. Religious Life Just like his father and grandfather, Hieronymus became a member of the “Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady” in 1486 and became a ‘sworn member’ in 1488 (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). With this membership, Hieronymus entered the social elite of the city. Several other members of the brotherhood were Jan Heyns, the architect of the Saint John’s Cathedral, and Pieter van Os, secretary of the city (Verbeek 193). Through his new friendships, Hieronymus received several orders, such as the designing of the two altar-wings for the chapel of the Saint John’s Cathedral and the design of a stained glass window for the chapel of the Illustrious Brotherhood (Bosing 14). The members of the Brotherhood were mainly clergymen and scholars. Not only was the Brotherhood a potential client for Hieronymus, also the separate members could act as clients. The influence of the Brotherhood was probably very large on het life of Hieronymus. At least he met many other artists, from inside and outside the city, like the architect Alart Duhamel and sculptor Adriaan van Wesel (Van Dijck 53). Hieronymus was also said to be a member of a sect, the “Brethren of the Free Spirits”, also known as the “Adamnites”. This sect honors Adam as a sin-free person, who will lead humanity back to a sin-free life. The main purpose was establishing a paradise on Earth, through a combination of Christian, heathen and folk-religion. This paradise was supposed to be portrayed in “The Garden of Earthly Delights” (Bosing 7). Another indication of his religious life can also be found in his paintings. Hieronymus likes to portray the deadly sins, they are one of his main objects in his paintings (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). By putting the sins ‘out there’, he teaches the people how not to live; he warns the public for this kind of behavior. Style and Other Influences The time in which Hieronymus lived was the end of the Middle Ages, the Late Middle Ages. This era was the transition between the Gothic Period and the Renaissance. Hieronymus was part of what’s called the Northern Renaissance. This terminology is basically used to describe the Renaissance in Europe, outside of Italy. Hieronymus entered history as the painter of satirical impressions, but is also important when it comes to the implementation of a new visual tradition (Stechow 19). He gave a new interpretation to existing designs and invented a series of new compositions. These designs can also be found in paintings from Pieter Breughel Senior (1525-1569), who was influenced by Hieronymus and carried on his new tradition. Research is being done on Hieronymus’ paintings since the 19th century. First, hardly any distinction was made between the work of Hieronymus and that of his followers, but after the introduction of the X-rays and dendrochronology, researchers made this clear (Gibson 163). Some of the paintings dropped off, but some were gained, like “The Temptation of Saint Anthony”. His work has some main characteristics such as large, single figures or groups of figures in a 'guilty' landscape which recalls the wickedness of man. Most of his work also displays an old-fashioned high horizon, alienating elements such as monsters, flying fish and magnified wildlife, and excessive facial features and attitude. His use of materials is very economical and the painted surfaces are rather rough with clearly visible brushstrokes. Falk (83) argues that Hieronymus tried to break free of the bonds and standards put on communal art during the Middle Ages. His demons, ghosts and mechanical figures didn’t exist before Hieronymus. Hieronymus’ way of telling a story was also a philosophical one: “The thing itself contains the idea” (Falk 83). One other thing that might have influenced Hieronymus, but what is not traceable in any documents is the fact that Den Bosch was partly destroyed by a great fire in 1463. This fact might have influenced him, due to the large amounts of fires on his paintings. The turbulent times that were haunting Europe, didn’t help either. The plague killed many people and this era is characterized by fear, horror and disaster (Van Dijck 50). Hieronymus’ Influence on Others Although Hieronymus was a famous painter when he was still alive, he was followed rather late. The only painters he had an influence on, during his life, were Alaert Duhamel, a print artist and also from Den Bosch, and the painters Joachim Patinir and Jan de Cock. Through the latter, his work got known by the Mannerists in Antwerp, such as Peter Huys. Also some other painters were attracted to his art, like the Belgian Frans Verbeeck and the German Lucas Cranach. Most famous follower of the ‘Bosch Style’ was Pieter Breughel Senior, who incorporated Hieronymus’ style and developed the theme further (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). In the north of The Netherlands, Hieronymus’ influence is traceable in the work of Lucas van Leyden. Even the surrealistic painters like Salvador Dali, Max Ernst and Joan Miro, are clearly influenced by Hieronymus Bosch’ work (Bosing 7). Apparently, Hieronymus had several assistants (Stechow 19). Who they were, or what they painted, never became quite clear. A lot of Hieronymus’ work could have been painted by his assistants, and vice-versa. When Hieronymus was still alive, his paintings were valuable and collected, but the essence of his work stayed unknown for a long time. Only now, in our century, his work is being analyzed and deciphered, but even still some of his work is hidden in riddles for the researchers (Jheronimus Bosch Art Center). Some Famous Paintings of Hieronymus Bosch The Garden of Earthly Delights. This triptych was painted around 1500, when the Renaissance, and Hieronymus’ powers were at its highest point. The symbolism seems to be completely blown away and exaggerated, and totally detached from reality. All demonic figures and devilish portrayals found in the art of the Middle Ages, can be found in this piece of art (Falk 62). It is a not very optimistic view of the sinful world. This triptych is Hieronymus’ most puzzling piece of work and the representation can be interpreted in many ways. The outer wings of the triptych are commonly known as Paradise (left) and Hell (right) (Falk 63). The Last Judgment. This triptych was made for King Philip of Spain, after 1482. Hieronymus made another representation of heaven and hell, with the creation of man and Adam and Eve on the left panel and hell on the right panel. The center piece is called “The Last Judgment”, where Jesus decides who goes to hell and who goes to heaven, in the final days of the burning Earth. This is typical a Hieronymus Bosch painting, trying to warn, or scare the public for what’s coming. The figures are clear, not many questions have to be asked about the representation in general; live a good life and be a good person in a world full of danger, temptation and fear, otherwise the price is going to be hell, and that’s even worse (Falk 68). Patronage and Commissioners Researchers believe that Hieronymus did not have a patron, but that he depicts the Grand Master of the Brotherhood often in his paintings; In “Christ on the Cross” it is believed to be the figure of John, in “The Garden of Earthly Delights” it could be the angel and in “John the Evangelist on Patmos” it is supposed to be John the Evangelist (Falk 106). In “The Calvary with Donor”, the patron, who is unknown, is referred to as ‘donor’ in the title and is believed to be the kneeling figure (Art and the Bible). Sometimes Hieronymus would put the people who commissioned for the art, in the painting. This is likely the case in “The Adoration of the Magi”, where it is believed that the man and woman, painted on the outside panels and accompanied by St. Agnes and St. Peter, are the people who asked for the painting (Art and the Bible). Conclusion Hieronymus Bosch was clearly influenced by his surroundings. In the first place he was influenced by his family of painters, who made him paint right after he was born. In the second place, the world around him influenced him a lot (Bosing 9). Together with his religious devotion and point of view, he drew the sinful humanity interpreted with medieval morality. He tried to portray and teach moral and the spiritual truth. Brave and bold enough to shock the public, many paintings with weird looking figures, demonic symbols and large creatures and humans, all forced the public to see the world in a different way. Hieronymus Bosch’ work is still puzzling many scholars and researchers to this day. If you see one of his paintings, for sure you will stare at it with amazement and stand looking for hours to see all the figures and small details. His influence might not have been apparent directly, but the later Surrealists are definitely influenced by his way of painting and his use of symbolic portrayals and stories. Works Cited Bax, Dirk. Ontcijfering van Jeroen Bosch. Den Haag: Staatdrukkerij, 1949. Print. “Biblical Art by Jheronimus Bosch”. Artbible.info. Art and the Bible, n.d. Web. 17 April 2011. Bosing, Walter. The Complete Paintings: Bosch. Koln: Taschen GmbH, 2004. Print. Dijck, G.C.M. van. Op zoek naar Jheronimus van Aken alias Bosch: De feiten. Familie, vrienden en opdrachtgevers. Zaltbommel: Europese Bibliotheek. 2001. Print. DK Publishing. Bosch: Master of the Grotesque. New York, NY: Dorling Kindersley, 1999. Print. Falk, Kurt. The Unknown Hieronymus Bosch. Benson, NC: Goldenstone Press, 2008. Print. Fraenger, Wilhelm. Hieronymus Bosch. Chicago, IL: Art Stock Books, 1995. Print. Gibson, Walter S. Hieronymus Bosch. New York: Thames and Hudson, 1973. Print. Jeroenbosch-artcenter.nl. Jheronimus Bosch Art Center, n.d. Web. 17 April 2011. Stechow, Wolfgang. Northern Renaissance Art 1400-1600: Sources and Documents. Evanston, IL: Northwestern University Press, 1999. Print. Verbeek, Theo, Erik-Jan Bos and Jeroen van de Ven. The Correspondence of Rene Descartes: 1643. Utrecht: Zeno Institute for Philosophy, 2003. Print. Paintings mentioned The Garden of Earthly Delights (c. 1480-1505) by Hieronymus Bosch. Oil on wood triptych, 220 cm x 389 cm, Museo del Prado, Madrid, Spain. The Last Judgment (c. 1482 or later) by Hieronymus Bosch. Oil on wood triptych, 163 cm x 247 cm, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna, Austria. Calvary with Donor (c. 1490) by Hieronymus Bosch. Oil on wood panel, 74.7 cm x 61 cm, Musea voor Schone Kunsten, Brussels, Belgium. Adoration of the Magi (c. 1475-1480) by Hieronymus Bosch. Oil on wood triptych, 74 cm x 54 cm, Museum of Art, Philadelphia, USA. Read More