You must have seen, or at least a part of it, the great painting The Garden of Earthly Pleasures by Hieronymus Bosch, which is considered one of the most important representatives of the Dutch early Renaissance period. However, we are sure that you missed countless details if you did not examine it enough. Here are the extraordinary details about the Garden of Earthly Delights painting and its painter, Hieronymus Bosch.
Although his exact date of birth is not known, Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch, who died at an early age on August 9, 1516, is considered one of the most important representatives of the Dutch early Renaissance period. Earthly Pleasures painting by Hieronymus Bosch on the other hand, it is undoubtedly one of the most important works of the painter even today because the painting is full of details that you will notice a new one every time you look at it.
Hieronymus Bosch was a well-known painter during his lifetime and even inspired many names. Even when you look at the works he painted, you will realize that he has an extraordinary mindset. A glance at the Garden of Earthly Delights is not enough. because a different narrative is hidden at each point of this work, which is quite large. Let’s take a closer look at the extraordinary details about the Garden of Earthly Delights painting and its painter, Hieronymus Bosch.
The Garden of Earthly Delights painting and its painter Hieronymus Bosch features:
Who is Hieronymus Bosch, we do not know exactly:
In general, many details are known about the artists of the Renaissance period. But Hieronymus Bosch is not one of them. Details such as when he was born, what kind of education he received, who he worked with are a complete mystery. Who is Hieronymus Bosch, even today, is still a secret, as he did not leave any diary, diary or study notes behind.
Do you know the size of the Garden of Earthly Delights painting?
The Garden of Earthly Delights is not like the pictures we know. It appears as a whole painted on three different panels. Their size is quite surprising. The full size of the Garden of Earthly Delights is approximately 4 meters. Even the middle panel alone is close to 2 meters. Its length is more than 2 meters. In other words, we are not talking about a painting that you can buy and hang in your room.
To understand the table, it is necessary to read it in a special way:
The Garden of Earthly Pleasures painting is not a work that can be understood when you look at it, as it consists of three different panels. It should be read from left to right. In the left panel God’s introduction of Adam and Eve on the right panel, there is a torture. In the central panel, the world we live in is shown as a surreal attraction. So the Garden of Earthly Delights should be judged not only on the middle panel from which it is named, but on the overall story.
When you close the panels and turn them around, you are in for a surprise:
When you close the two outer panels that make up the Garden of Earthly Pleasures on the middle panel and turn their backs, you see a completely different picture. In this painting, there is a world made with gray and neutral colors. In the upper left corner of the sphere with surprising details, there is a god figure wearing a pope’s crown. If it’s next to you Psalm 33:9 is included from the Bible. In this text “Because he spoke and it happened; commanded and stood firm.” sentence passes.
We can encounter Hieronymus Bosch in the Garden of Earthly Delights:
We said that we do not know much about Hieronymus Bosch. However, every painter reveals himself in his paintings in some way. art historian According to the claim made by Hans Belting The Garden of Earthly Delights has a face of the tree-man, which is the focus of the right panel. The mysterious painter may have left a self-portrait signature on the Garden of Earthly Delights by painting his own face here.
The name of the painting was not always the Garden of Earthly Delights:
To begin with, by opening a small parenthesis, the Garden of Earthly Pleasures does not reflect this whole picture anyway. The garden of earthly pleasures is depicted only in the middle panel. However, over time it became known by this name. When we go back to the 17th century, this work was called the Strawberry Painting. Because an attractive strawberry tree was depicted in the center of the middle panel.
The Garden of Earthly Delights was a popular work even when it was first produced:
The work, whose original name is The Garden of Earthly Delights, is not a painting that has been appreciated years later. It was exhibited in the city palace of the Counts of the House of Nassau in Brussels in 1517, a year after its painter Hieronymus Bosch died. It was visited by heads of state, court officials and nobles. It is possible to understand how important the Garden of Earthly Pleasures painting is from the abundance of copies made after the painter’s death.
It is surprising that Hieronymus Bosch used oil paints in this painting:
It is an interesting detail that the Garden of Earthly Pleasures, painted by Hieronymus Bosch using oil paints on oak panels, was made with oil paint. because At that time, it was not even a hundred years since oil paint was invented. and was not very popular with painters. The fact that Hieronymus Bosch noticed the oil painting technique discovered by the Flemish artist Jan Van Eyck in 1410 and used it in his paintings indicates that he was a person open to innovations like other Renaissance figures.
The painting has an adventurous relocation story:
The Garden of Earthly Pleasures by Hieronymus Bosch was exhibited in the Netherlands for a while. In 1591, the King of Spain II. Purchased by Philip It began to be exhibited at Escorial. After 1939, the painting was taken to the Prado Museum in Madird. The place of the painting, which almost disappeared during the Spanish Civil War, was wanted to be changed in 2014, but it was kept here with a special agreement.
There is a website about the details of the Garden of Earthly Delights painting:
Neither Hieronymus Bosch nor his painting The Garden of Earthly Delights are still fully deciphered today. Many important names such as German art historian Erwin Panofsky devoted their careers to understanding Hieronymus Bosch and his paintings. However, even these names still do not see a light at the end of the tunnel. You can find all the details and theories about the details noticed by art historians on the Esoteric Bosch website, which you can access via the link here.
One of the important names of the Dutch early Renaissance period. We talked about little-known details about the Garden of Earthly Pleasures painting by Hieronymus Bosch. Do you think this painting is really that mysterious? You can share your thoughts in the comments.