The Altarpiece of Saint Liberata

Altarpiece of Saint Liberata
Hieronymus Bosch, The Altarpiece of Saint Liberata, c. 1500


By LIBBY ROHR

At first glance, this painting raises a lot of questions. Primarily, why is Jesus in a dress and where can I get that dress? It's adorable. Well, reader, you're definitely on the right track. But this crucifix, unlike almost every other crucifix I've ever seen, does not actually feature Jesus Christ himself. There's no Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene, just an amazing, bearded, folk-princess turned saint with one of the most interesting stories in the Catholic tradition.

It was originally believed that this painting depicted Saint Julia, another female crucified saint, but upon further research and examination of the painting, art historians now mostly agree that this particular Bosch altarpiece is centered around Saint Liberata. Also known as Wilgefortis, Kummernis,  Uncumber, or Livrade, we can be fairly sure that Liberata's story originates as a popular folk tale. Legend says she was one of nine daughters of a Portuguese King who also happened to be pagan. Liberata was Christian and had vowed a life of chastity to further her faith. However, ignoring her wishes, her father made a deal with the pagan King of Sicily to have her hand in marriage. Distraught by the idea of breaking her vows and being wed to someone she perceived to be a heathen, Liberata prayed that she might find a way out of the marriage. So God delivered her full, bushy facial hair. And it worked. The King of Sicily was so appalled he immediately called off the wedding. Although Liberata had won for the time being, she did not have long to celebrate. Her father was so infuriated by the end of his daughter's engagement that he had her crucified.

It's fairly easy to pick out this painting as a Bosch. Though it lacks his signature unfocused landscape of fantastical and horrifying creatures, his trademarks are still there in the figures, composition, and background. For one, the painting split in thirds is true to his style. Not unlike The Garden of Earthly Delights, one third is quite hellish, one more earthly, and one more indicative of heaven. Starting on the left, the panel of hell, we see cloaked Saint Anthony deep in meditation, surrounded by all manor of curious monsters, including a dwarf man wielding a sword. The city before him is aflame, blazing with the frightening realism with which Bosch typically paints fire. It is dark and covered in browns and reds. It's all destruction. On the far right, we see a monk leading a soldier or an executioner. On the beach below them a man hunts a small animal, unaware of another armed man attempting to take his life from behind. Further still, a group of people drag a whale to shore. The twisty ship and lumpy buildings show Bosh's more typical whimsy. This confusing duality, the mix between good, evil, and nature, suggests to me that this is the earth panel. This leaves the center panel to be the heavenly one. After all, what is more heavenly in the Catholic church than a martyr?

By far the most vibrant part of this scene, the central panel subs earthy pastels for bright pinkish-reds and creams overlaying a vibrant blue background. Liberata on the crucifix splits the crowd. On the right are her opposition, including her father front and center, clearly without regret, gesturing to the cross as if to make a point about his dominance. To the left are her supporters, all reeling in various stages of horror and grief. Personally, I love this painting for the subversion of gender roles here. The female saint is martyred, looking up to heaven. In place of a stoic or grieving Virgin Mary or Mary Magdalene, her former fiancé has passed out cold at the sight of her, unable to handle his shock. Even while crucified, Liberata's body language suggests she is more welcoming of God's love than ever. While the men around her, the symbolic human beings are overcome by stubbornness, grief, and pride, she remains strong, open, and thoroughly holy. Beyond being an cool painting of a strong woman, it certainly makes a point about the foolishness of humanity.

Let's face it, Bosch is weird. But when you put away the initial impulse to reel back and instead lean into his work, you'll find that there's something beautiful and familiar in his depiction of the world. It may not be realistic in a traditional sense, but it shows the world more accurately in the way we feel it and imagine it to be. We've all had days where it seems like little monsters are running around prodding us at every turn, where very little makes sense, where the world appears so wild and unreal. The human psyche is a little crazy and Bosh of all people knows that. In this way, he was surrealist long before the beginning of that movement. He brings out the world of our dreams in a way we can relate to, so that we find that laughable humanity even in a religious crucifix.  Hieronymus Bosch may be a thoroughly freaky Dutchman, but I have to say, he was also a genius.
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Ascent of the Blessed rte

Ascent of the Blessed
Hieronymus Bosch, Ascent of the Blessed, 1500-1504
By SAI GONDI 

Hieronymus Bosch was known for his wild, imaginative paintings such as Garden of the Earthly Delights. However, he also produced numerous works seemingly more modest compared to his crazy creations. His primary subject matter is religious works, especially depictions of the afterlife. Ascent of the Blessed, completed between 1500 to 1504 was one of his later works towards the end of his life. This painting is simplistic in structure but complex in technique. Ascent of the Blessed is one of four panels that add up to create Visions of the Hereafter. It's clear his motives are depicting the post-death voyage into hell or heaven. Here, he portrays the afterlife journey from the mortal world into heaven or to God. Each dead body is gracefully escorted by a pair of angels through the clouds . Bosch has given his dead subjects life, gesturing as if they're thankful or excited.

The gloomy, dark colors represent the death surrounding them; however, this is contrasted by the tunnel of beaming light. Bosch depicts the passage to heaven as a solid structure. His off-centering of the passage balances the painting and heightens the allusion of depth. The fading light grey at the base of the composition shows the light casted from heaven. By varying the size of his subjects, the inward flow of the painting is easily identifiable and well executed. From Bosch one would expect his angels to be distorted flying mutant pigs or something along those lines, but the only untraditional feature on them is their varying wings. The somber greens, browns, and blues of the angels allow the nude figures to radiate, making them more celestial. Though not typical Bosch level insane, Ascent of the Blessed is a gorgeous breath of fresh air. 
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Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch
Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights (open), 1504
By MARY MARGARET SIMS

Bosch is most famous for his sinister and twisted works. His creativity amazes me, and I am in awe by the many intricate details. Many historians think that inside of Bosch’s paintings there are puns and little jokes referencing wife tales and religious stories. Bosch’s painting style in the 15th century was quite different than other painters in his time. He painted with heavier layers of oil paint and had more texture than the normal Flemish style which was smooth and soft.

He painted this painting during his middle and last period. In this piece Bosch has painted three panels. In the first panel it seems as though they are in the Garden of Eden and God is giving Adam Eve. The landscape is more like Dr. Seuss, with the vibrant flowing mountains that almost looks like the ocean. There are many animals and vegetation available, it seems fruitful. In the middle panel all of the people are naked and inside giant food. Their faces are emotionless and flat, but every person seems to have a purpose. The last panel is dark and hell like. The people are still naked but there are different giant items, they are less organic and more material items. There seems to be more emotion in the people's faces less flat but not completely human.
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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Ethan Doskey
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthy Delights (closed), 1503
By ETHAN DOSKEY

The outer panels of perhaps Bosch's most famous painting depicts a scene utterly different from the contents inside. This monochromatic green-gray scale directly contrasts the vibrant green, blue, and pink innards as does the lack of humans and creatures. The only figure seen is God on the upper left corner next to the quotation “For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm” (Psalm 33.9).

Leading theories suggest that these outside panels are a view of the third day of Earth when land, plants, and foliage were created. This argument makes a lot of sense chronologically (according to the Bible) as the inside illustrations follow the linear story of the creation of man in the Garden of Eden, man's temptation to evil, and then finally Hell itself. Additionally, there is no evidence of the Sun, moon, or stars, which were created on the Fourth day. The title The Garden of Earthly Delights complements this suggestion in a witty fashion; the "Garden" being the previously mentioned Eden or perhaps the land that God created, and "Delights" being man's ecstasy from lust and greed.

I chose the exterior of this chef d'oeuvre because of how Bosch applied his style to such an uncharacteristic subject. Also, by how drastically different it is compared to any of his other works: there is not a single creature or ungodly monstrosity, nor any vibrant color pops.

Bosch teases to the interior of this painting and past works of his through the surreal plants and landmarks on the Earth. In a way, Bosch plays God my making his own semi-disturbing version of the Bible story and by creating his own planet. Bosch does not hold back in this painting. It is so technically beautiful and skillful and yet also so thought provoking and open to interpretation, which makes this piece so prolific and admired. By making the outer panels so simplistic, he ingeniously compliments his own work and creates a welcoming image that unfolds into this delightful/nightmarish world.
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Triptych of the Last Judgement

Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch, Triptych of the Last Judgement, c. 1500
 By NAYOUNG KWON

In the Northern Renaissance, Hieronymus Bosch became famous for creating innovative but also thought provoking pieces. His paintings have been praised for its details and creativity. In almost every painting by Bosh includes humans and monsters. In this unique painting, painted with oil on wood, the Triptych of the Last Judgement is depicted on biblical history and mostly good vs. evil.

The left panel shows the peaceful side of human life with clear blue sky with birds and greens. Meanwhile as it progresses to the right panel the atmosphere of the painting changes drastically. The right panel shows the fall of human kind and the punishments for those who has done wrong. The chaos of the movements in the painting show destruction and fear.
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Garden of Earthly Delights and Losing My Religion

Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights, 1510





In the wise words of art historian Mathew Collings: "What the hell is that?"

 Hell. That's precisely what Hieronymus Bosch intended for his Garden of Earthly Delights to encompass.

 Bosch illustrates three panels, the left being the Garden of Eden, the central being an extension of the garden, and the right being Hell. However, the Northern Renaissance artist depicts the salvation of humanity through the central and right panels, in which the Garden of Eden is corrupted as a result of human temptation to sin, and they are inevitably damned to hell. The garden teems with female and male nudes, an allusion to lust, among a variety of animals, plants, and fruits. Moreover, the human figures revel in innocent, self-absorbed joy as some cavort in the meadows with various animals and others play in the Lake of Venus subconsciously. And in reaction to the humans who have succumbed to temptations, Bosch creates heinously graphic torments to depict their internal damnation to a world of unknown atrocities and misconceptions of reality.

 And if isn't depressing enough that Bosch basically claims that all of humanity will end up in Hell and constructs a scene of indecipherable madness, the artist also touches on the notion of an inescapably tainted world and questions whether God, having made this world and bestowed on man the opportunity for liberty, should destroy his creation in the face of human failure. In fact, as society has only worsens with time, Bosch's very questioning of God and the corruption of humanity becomes prevalent in modern day society.

 "That's me in the corner, that's me in the spot light, losing my religion, trying to keep up with you, and I don't know if I can do it."

 Oddly enough, R.E.M's "Losing My Religion" touches not on the specificity of religion itself, but on the loss of hope in the singer's love life because of the human temptation and corruption that has risen over time. In the south, the expression "losing my religion" referred to being at the end of one's rope, that moment when civility gives way to anger. Here, R.E.M's somber language depicts the hopeless of humanity and a loss of an ideology (the end of one's rope) through the omnipresence of human indulgence. The song allows us to question the purpose of civilization if the act of sin, be it lust or anger, interrupts the ability to be content and as Bosch would say, sends you straight to hell.

 "Consider this, the hint of the century. Consider this, the slip, that brought me to my knees, failed. What if all these fantasies come flailing around? But that was just a dream, try, cry, why try. That was just a dream, just a dream, just a dream, dream."

 The song concludes with the illusion of the singer's sin himself, as he acknowledges that that his lover's joy was "just a dream", and now he has awoken to his own Hell, as he loses himself in the free will God has given him and contemplates his purpose on Earth if he has lost his religion.
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The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things

Anirudh Vadlamani
Hieronymus Bosch, The Seven Deadly Sins and the Four Last Things, around 1500

 What a fancy table, a true masterpiece of the era.

The table is a masterpiece describing the seven deadly sins: wrath at the bottom (going clockwise on the table), envy, greed, gluttony, laziness, lazy, lust, pride. The seven deadly sins are then surrounded by the four last things: death of a sinner, judgement, hell, and glory. In the center of the table is "god's pupil" with Jesus inside of it. Along the bottom of the pupil lies the Latin phrase "Cave Cave Deus Videt" which means "Beware, beware, God sees."Along the bottom is more Latin from Deuteronomy 32:28-2 meaning, "For they are a nation void of counsel, neither is there any understanding in them.

I have heard of the seven deadly sins many times but this is my first time hearing of the four last things. The four last things are the consequences the user faces posthumously based on how often they committed the deadly sins. Bosch begins with death of a sinner, a picture of a man dying in his bed while an angel weighs his sin on a scale. the sinner then goes to judgement. based on the verdict in judgement, they either ascend to glory or else catch the escalator down to hell.

I have always had a love-hate relationship with the seven sins. I never knew how the Christian faith justified a soul "heavy with sin" and a soul with barely any. Humans were created with emotions. Everybody in their life feels jealous of another person, it is normal. Does that make everyone a sinner? How much of this feeling of jealousy can I have before my own soul is heavy with sin? Bosch didn't really answer my questions through this culinary masterpiece but he did associate my questions with a very entertaining painting for each sin.
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The Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch
Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights (Closed), c. 1504

Hieronymus Bosch.

My personal Jesus Christ. 

From here on out, the timeline of my life will be laid out according to the day I first discovered Bosch's brillance. My own "revelation" so-to-speak. Instead of 1300 B.C, It'll be 1300 B.B (Before Bosch). And this painting--this masterpiece, is both the beginning and the end, the first and the last, of everything I am and everything I will ever be. 

Truly the epitome of perfection, each brushstroke of  The Garden of Earthly Delights is enough to reduce someone to tears.  In fact, I may have teared up a little bit just uploading the photos. With a painting so tragically beautiful and devastatingly stunning, who wouldn't get a little emotional?

To own such a painting, would be to own the universe. 

One of the great tragedies of The Garden of Earthly Delights lies in the myriad mysteries woven through it's much debated history. Who was Bosch? What was his intention? And, What the hell is that?! 

Hieronymus Bosch, The Garden of Earthly Delights (Open), c. 1504

After scouring every inch of it  I've found the real tragedy is in it's complexity.

At first glance, one may see a jumble of naked people, vibrant life-sized fruits and eerie-nether-creatures straight out of the most blood-curdling of nightmares. But, the longer you look, the more you begin to see queer, and curious things: an Albino giraffe with dragon horns, Men and women of all races, running about in the nude, indulging in both fruit and each other, or a man, head stuck under an avocado-lute, his butt tattooed with the score for some 600-year-old-butt-song from hell. 

The beauty, mind you, is in the details. Alas, only very few will ever have the opportunity to fully experience them. Nothing does it justice (trust me, I've tried everything). Printing it mutes the colors and diminishes the details, tracing or copying it in any way proves fruitless (no pun intended) every time and don't even get me started on the disillusionment generated by attempting to view such a gem on a computer. 

Ceci n'est pas un jardin des plaisirs terrestres. 
Ceci n'est pas perfection. 

The notion that one man could fantasize such things, and execute them so flawlessly, is beyond me. With no access to the internet, no access to LSD (I hope), and previous demonstrations of surrealism,
Bosch just dreamt everything up with sheer brainpower. 

If we found a way to harness it, we could fuel the universe on Bosch's imagination alone.  
And that gives me hope.



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Christ's Descent into Hell

1550-60

Christ's Descent into Hell
Hieronymous Bosch (?), Christ's Decent into Hell, 1550-1560

"If you don't let me in, I shall make you the sorriest man on earth. To which Tofano replied: And how are you going to do that?" - Giovanni Boccaccio, The Decameron

As often depicted in all sorts of media and entertainment, Tofano confronts a classic ultimatum. After locking his wife out of the house, which under no circumstance would ever end in his favor, she responded in the most rational of ways. Monna, his wife, decided to cleverly fake her death by throwing a massive stone down into a well. Naturally, this scares the living daylights out of Tofano as he quickly becomes aware of his what his fate will be if he is blamed for her death. With either his reputation or his head on the line, Tofano quickly makes his way to the well to find that he had been played. Now was the one locked out of the house.

Christ's Descent into Hell accurately reflects Tofano's mindset as the impact at the bottom of the well echoes through his ears. Everything goes downhill from that point on and his and Tofano is forced to fear the worst. Instantly terrified that he will be accused of murder, Tofano fears he will have to go through hell to survive his predicament. Regardless of avoiding death or forced fleeing, Tofano is still left with being simply outwitted by his wife.

Although relationship ultimatums have been used in modern entertainment, none will ever come close to the beautifully dramatized conditions that Tofano is confronted with. Monna showed great dexterity and courage to pull off such a feat against her husband, and will always have completed one of the most sinister pranks ever. This series of events also brings out the immaturity of both Tofano and Monna. Regardless of their age and length of their marriage, they successfully bring out their inner child.

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Just Your Average Mental Breakdown: Garden of Earthly Delights

Drew Bierwirth
Just Your Average Mental Breakdown
Artists Losing It
Curated by Drew Bierwirth

Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights, 1504

Insane root. Bosch's piece, when I first saw it, confused me. As it should, but the chaotic nature of the subject matter made my eyes unable to focus on one part of the scene. This triptych shows the actions of humans on Earth and their inevitable doom inside an egg-man.

Bosch's work has been analyzed for years and years. People wonder if he was mentally ill, on some types of 14th century drugs, or actually just like this. Here's the thing: Bosch lived a strictly monastic lifestyle, and during that period there wasn't much belief in forgiveness for transgressions. It's more of a one-and-done kind of thing. Which would lead someone completely immersed in that type of mind-space, always terrified of divine judgement, to be a little wacky. Bosch seems to work through this fear here, in a chaotic way that many people blame on less complex causes.

I could talk about lead poisoning, exhaustion, malnutrition, even ergot poisoning in hopes of explaining Bosch's incredible, inexplicable talent. But that would do no good. It's there, chaotic and dystopian, and inspired so many works later. I don't know how many paintings I've used the word Bosch-esque to describe. This piece is special because it's completely unlike any painting of the period, using the same triptych technique and using the three canvases to make something truly dynamic.

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Garden of Earthly Delights

Garden of earthly delights
Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights, 1480
Throughout history, artists have long been trying to present their audience the premonition of the coming apocalypse. In Hieronymus Bosch's mind, human's original sin rests on their lust and desire, which eventually leads humans to hell. Garden of Earthly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch provides a hallucinatory warning against a life of lustful pleasure. From left to right, the triptych depicts Christ blessing the union of Adam and Eve, a world of debauchery, and the doom that inevitably follows. Bosch's message is Christian, yet his way is profane.

In the middle panel, young people are talking and interacting with each other and with plants and animals. Animalism, temptation, and other bizarre behaviors are ubiquitously exhibited in front of our eyes. In the middle ground, young men riding on horse-like animals, circle around the bathing women in a round pound--a rite that was viewed as symbols of heresy and passion by Bosch's contemporaries. In the background, structures in pink and blue are depicted in an organic manner, and again, with sexual innuendo. Even in the wildest dream wouldn't one imagine such a phantasmagoria of outlandish phenomena. Critics commonly believe Bosch here depicts a false paradise, where all physical desire is fulfilled in exchange of human reason and soul.

I was amazed by the unique way that Bosch propagates his belief. This image is pretty surrealistic even in the eyes of the 21st century. However, the message that Bosch trying to preach here repels me. Under his brush, people animalized, sexuality as a sin floods, and humanity is on the verge of doom. On some level, the perverted false paradise and the sadistic panorama of the hell really demonstrates Bosch's pessimistic vision of the world, and maybe, his morbid mind as well. After all, who could deliberately depict such a image if he has not pictured it in his deepest mind? In a Freudian manner, like Dali did in the 20th century, one could argue that these images are surrealistic expressions of Bosch's repressed desire. If desires like these exist even in the most Christian heart, the question becomes not just "can you practice what you preach?" but rather "should we believe what you preach?"

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Procession to Calvary

Brennan DePew
Hieronymus Bosch, Procession to Calvary, ca. 1515

Crowded. Chaotic. Overflowing. Faces and figures flood the canvas of Bosch's Procession to Calvary, creating a sense of bedlam. The piece feels uncomfortable as one scans the visages, the bulging eyes and open mouths. Then, one spies Christ's face. The closed eyelids, the shut mouth, the face devoid of expression and wrinkle - they all communicate serenity and calm. A visual oasis in a desert of panic. He's welcome refuge from the movement and loudness  he stands out among the masses because he lacks the frantic, overwhelming energy of the surrounding figures. Silent and calm, his simpleness separates him.

Dante's The Inferno holds within its pages a dark parallel of this concept. In Canto XIV, while journeying through the seventh circle, Dante and Virgil come upon a massive crowd of tortured souls, stumbling naked through a desert, cracked and barren, moaning in torment as fire rains down on them. They all squirm, whimper, and rage against their eternal punishment. All except one, who lies prone on his back, staring up in unflinching defiance against God. He alone refuses to acknowledge the pain, and silently focuses his hatred upon the heavens. Unmoving and unrepentant, his inaction separates him.

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