Fascinating article on Hieronymus Bosch

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ElaineA

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Very interesting article. I stood in front of The Garden of Earthly Delights for so long my daughter wanted to kill me. It's an overwhelming visual feast--he stuffed so much imagery in that triptych it would take weeks to notice it all. One can't help but marvel at how Bosch's mind translated the world around him. Fascinating intellectual exercise since he's such a mysterious figure. Now I wish I could take another trip to Spain. I'd love to see the Prado's exhibition.
 

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Quite interesting.

However, one thing I find common with art historians that is problematical is their attempt to interpret everything as well thought out, meticulously planned, and representing specific ideas and purposes.

Even with an overarching plan, much of art springs from the subconscious. I would hazard that the reason so many of these scenes and figures are open to interpretation is because the Bosch himself really had a little idea of where they sprang from. Iconography is sometimes an after-the-fact attempt to define what emerged from the artist's mind, sometimes uncalled for and unexpected.
 

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500 years? I really never knew how old those fabulous paintings were. I am so looking forward to this article.
 

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Even with an overarching plan, much of art springs from the subconscious. I would hazard that the reason so many of these scenes and figures are open to interpretation is because the Bosch himself really had a little idea of where they sprang from. Iconography is sometimes an after-the-fact attempt to define what emerged from the artist's mind, sometimes uncalled for and unexpected.

I completely agree with this, and it struck me looking at the painting that half of it was just him playfully effing around, especially the tiny images poked into the nooks and crannies. Some imagery was standard for the age (ie: hand position indicating various states of grace), but I had the distinct feeling of witnessing the outpouring of a crowded mind filled with the fantastic, and wondered how hard he was laughing (from the afterlife) at the attempts to make meaning of it all.
 
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