The Garden of Earthly Delights (Bosch)

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The triptych The Garden of Earthly Delights is the work of the Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch (around 1450–1516). It can be seen in the Museo del Prado , Madrid . There is no concrete evidence of its time of origin; the research of the Museo del Prado is based on the period from 1490 to 1500.

The two outer wings show the creation of the world on the third day, when God created land, sea and plants according to the Christian understanding. The left inner wing shows the Garden of Eden with God, Adam and Eve; the central panel the garden of earthly delights and the right inner wing hell . When unfolded, the triptych measures 220 × 390 cm.

General view of the Garden of Earthly Delights with Garden of Eden (left), Paradise (middle) and Hell (right)

The triptych

Outer wing: The creation of the world

Outer wing

When closed, the front (outer wing) shows the image of a disc of earth floating in a transparent sphere. God the Father is depicted in the top left corner, the heading quotes Ps 33.9  EU : “Ipse dixit, et facta sunt. Ipse mandavit, et creata sunt ”. It represents the third day of the creation story : God separated land and sea and created the first plants .

Left wing: The Garden of Eden

Left inner wing

In the lower part of the picture on the left wing, Bosch has staged the creation of Eve according to the biblical account of creation ( Gen 1.27  EU and Gen 2.20-25  EU ). The three figures Adam, God - albeit in the form of Jesus - and Eve are connected through touch. The snake, the epitome of the Fall , is shown in the far right center of the picture, winding around a tree.

In addition, the picture presents a series of fantastic ideas: A mountain in the background seems to be a refuge for countless birds that fly out of it, roam into the distance and return - the alternation of birth, death and return. In the middle is a bizarre fountain in a clear pond, the fountain of life , inside of which an owl sits. Numerous animals are painted around the pond, most of them peaceful. The models for the depictions were possibly bestiaries , exotic animals such as giraffes and elephants were probably not known to Bosch from his own experience. Fantastic creatures like the unicorn and dragon-like creatures have also found their way into these compendia and were taken just as seriously as real animals. A dog-like fantasy creature with two legs can be seen. Already in paradise there are signs of calamity: ugly creatures slip away from a pool with murky water at the bottom.

Middle panel: The Garden of Earthly Delights

Garden of Earthly Delights

The long-standing interpretation of the central panel as a warning against the deadly sin of lust was countered by the art historian Wilhelm Fraenger for the first time in 1947 : He interpreted the representation as a utopian dream image of a love paradise.

On the central panel, Bosch shows people and animals to be together in peace and joy. A procession of riders on horses and pack animals goes around a circular pond in which people bathe; on the left edge of the picture, oversized birds ( kingfisher , hoopoe , green woodpecker , robin and goldfinch ) sit among the people . In addition to bizarre picture elements, an unaggressive, harmonious mood dominates. Fraenger regards sexuality as a gentle game carried by positive emotions. Even demons splashing around in the upper part of the picture next to the fountain of life - its substructure is a large forest berry - indulge in its interpretation of the positive mood. Oversized fruits, mainly strawberries, bird cherries , raspberries and blackberries are placed everywhere , signs of abundance of life and eroticism . At the edge of the lower part of the picture there is a small group of women whose appearance suggests that they are nuns. The hair on the head is shaved off the front of the skull (as was customary with nuns so that it does not peek out from under the headgear), one of them has the flagellation strap loosely wound around the thigh. In the right background a winged person, carrying a fruit above him, lifts off and rises to the sky.

Fraenger's contribution was often taken up as an original suggestion, but almost consistently rejected by art historians. On the one hand, reference was made to the many moments of ridicule in Bosch's picture that stand in the way of a serious idea of ​​an “ideal world”. On the other hand, Fraenger proceeded in an unhistorical manner, since the idea of ​​a suppressed sexuality that could be liberated came predominantly from the first half of the 20th century ( Sigmund Freud , Wilhelm Reich etc.) and was completely alien in Bosch's time.

Image detail

In his analysis, the art historian Erwin Pokorny points out that in Bosch's time “paradise in the hereafter” was a faith reality like “hell in the hereafter”. He cites evidence that Bosch is distancing itself from a fantasy-based longing for a paradise beyond. Doing nothing, the naive mixing or even equating human body parts with oversized fruits, acrobatics, social spectacles and boredom are ironically spread by Bosch. According to Pokorny, Bosch shows how easily a longing can become one thing in particular: a mirror of the nearsightedness of the longing.

Right wing: Hell

Right inner wing

Hell is depicted in the right inner wing, also referred to as "the musical hell" because of the representation of musical instruments.

A horror scenario is shown in the lower, lighter part of the picture. One sees a defenseless person clamped into the strings of a harp, another is pressed down by a large flute, another is trapped under the lute , notes are written on her backside, according to which the bystanders have to sing under the guidance of a monster. A bird-like creature sits next to the scene, it wears a cauldron on its head (symbol of shielding itself from the sky and divine influences) and devours people. These are excreted again and fall into a septic tank, which offers all sorts of disgust: Apart from the fact that one person excretes gold coins there, another is forced to vomit into this lake. At first glance, the chaos at the overturned table in the lower area of ​​the picture denounces gambling addiction and cheating . The decapitation of a person is hidden in the left corner. In the right corner, a person tries to defend himself against a pig covered in a nun's outerwear. A document is on his knees; a being that hides its facial features behind the lowered visor of a helmet reaches out for ink and pen. Apparently the harried man is supposed to sign something. To the right of this is the only fully clothed person in the work.

In the center of the picture, a light figure - half tree, half human - attracts the eye. It is based on two small boats that are frozen in the ice. His slightly ironic face facing the viewer is mounted on a body that is reminiscent of a broken egg. On his headgear, a millstone, stands a bright red bagpipe in the middle, a symbol of sexual desire. Around this, four beings lead people by their hands: the "mocking bird", the "arrogance" (arrogance), the bear (symbol for "anger") and a plump figure that is wrapped in a repellent cover, possibly a money bag, the greed symbolize. In the broken egg body, some people cavort in a pub scene.

detail

A knife is clamped in two oversized ears above the tree man. The ears are pierced by an arrow, their meaning is not clear, it may be an indication that the commandments of God were not obeyed. Demons pull people under the blade and lay them out so that they are caught by the edge. In the right part of the picture - here, too, an oversized knife is staged - people in knight armor are tormented and mangled by hellhounds, underneath naked people are trained to mount.

The upper part of the picture shows a ruin-like urban landscape. In the dark of night, firelight and other sources of light illuminate the scene in a ghostly way. Individual, shadowy figures move within it.

Interpretative approach "Irony and Enlightenment"

A person reading a book, in the lower right corner of the picture in the left wing, is “Paradise”.

More recent art-historical contributions emphasize the ironic character of the three partial images of the “Garden of Earthly Delights”. In the picture on the left, “Adam and Eve in Paradise”, you can see not only animals from an upside-down world, such as a large bird with three heads and a fish with feathered wings, but also a shrill anachronism . At the bottom right, in the pond, is a person with a large duck bill instead of a nose and the lower half of his body covered by a fish. She is dressed in a short-sleeved jacket with a hood. In front of her in her hands she holds an open thick book in which she appears to be reading (see illustration). By showing this additional, if only half, person with clothes and a book, Bosch removes the usual distance between the image and the viewer. With the contrast between the imaginary world of paradise and the real world of books, Bosch enables the viewer to assume the position of the enlightened observer. With the medium of irony, it is remembered that the image of paradise ultimately has its origin in a book, Genesis .

Dressed person, bottom right in the picture of the main picture "Garden of Earthly Delights"

A comparable anachronism can also be found in the main picture “Garden of Earthly Delights”, again at the bottom right. Here you can see the only clothed person in the main picture, looking straight back from a cave at the viewer and pointing to the naked woman in front of him with an ironic expression and an outstretched index finger (see illustration). Here, too, a contrast between the dream world and the present is indicated, and the viewer is given the opportunity to be a critical observer of this fantasy world.

Documents with seal, quill, lower right in the picture of the right wing "Hell"

The right picture, “Hell”, shows a third anachronism at the bottom right . Paper documents with seal impressions and a quill are objects of the earthly business world (see illustration). In addition, the pig pushes with the quill through flattery (sucking on the earlobe) and not through threats. For the third time, the viewer sees his real presence painted into a fantasy picture. So, if this suits him, he can have both invention and reality in view, a typical achievement of the Renaissance and the Enlightenment .

reception

In Arno Schmidt's dialogue novel Abend mit Goldrand (1975) The Garden of Earthly Delights is the main work of art that is often and ambiguously referenced.

Rainer Werner Fassbinder used The Garden of Earthly Delights as a background for re-enactments of biblical scenes in the epilogue of Berlin Alexanderplatz (1980).

The Garden of Earthly Delights was choreographed by Blanca Li : “Le jardin des délices”, Festival Montpellier Danse 2009.

Deep Purple released the garden of earthly delights in black and white on the gatefold cover on the third studio album , also known as Deep Purple III , in which a small picture of the band was incorporated.

The cover of the album Into the Pandemonium by the Swiss metal band Celtic Frost shows the gloomy, upper right part of the painting.

literature

  • Catharina Barker: The Garden of Heavenly Delights by Hieronymus Bosch in the light of Christian Rosenkreutz's teachings . Achamoth, Taisersdorf am Bodensee 2012, ISBN 978-3-923302-35-2 .
  • Dirk Bax: Ontcijfering van Jeroen Bosch. The Hague 1949. (English edition: His Picture-Writing deciphered , translatorisches by MA Bax-Botha, Rotterdam 1979)
  • Hans Belting: Hieronymus Bosch, Garden of Earthly Delights. Prestel, Munich 2002, ISBN 3-7913-2644-9 .
  • Bruno Blondé, Hans Vlieghe: The social statue of Hieronymus Bosch. In: Burlington Magazine. No. 131, No. 2, 1989, pp. 699-700.
  • Guido Boulboullé: Grotesque fear. Hieronymus Bosch's fantasies of hell. In: Christoph Auffarth, Sonja Kerth (Ed.): Faith controversy and laughter: Reformation and laughter culture in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period. LIT, Berlin 2008, ISBN 978-3-8258-1212-6 , pp. 55-78.
  • Godfried CM van Dijck: De Bossche optimaten: divorced van de Illustere Lieve Vrouwebroederschap te's-Hertogenbosch. 1318-1973. (= Bijdragen tot de divorced from het Zuiden van Nederland. 27). Tilburg 1973. [Investigation into Bosch's living environment]
  • Stefan Fischer: On “The Garden of Earthly Delights” by Hieronymus Bosch. Approaches and methods of research. Grin, Munich 2001/2007, ISBN 978-3-638-70228-7 or ISBN 978-3-638-28448-6 .
  • Stefan Fischer: Hieronymus Bosch: Painting as a vision, teaching image and work of art (= ATLAS. Bonn Contributions to Art History, NF Volume 6). published by the Art History Institute of the University of Bonn. Böhlau, Cologne / Vienna / Weimar 2009, ISBN 978-3-412-20296-5 . (Dissertation University of Bonn 2009)
  • Wilhelm Fraenger (ed.): Hieronymus Bosch - the millennial kingdom. Outlines of an interpretation. 10th edition. Verlag der Kunst, Basel / Dresden 1994, ISBN 3-364-00040-9 .
  • Heinrich Goertz: Hieronymus Bosch. With testimonials and photo documents. (= rororo. Volume 50237). Rowohlt, Reinbek near Hamburg 1998, ISBN 3-499-50237-2 .
  • Rose-Marie Hagen, Rainer Hagen: picture surveys. Masterpieces in detail. Taschen, Cologne 2000, ISBN 3-8228-6384-X .
  • Jos Koldeweij, Bernard Vermet, Paul Vandenbroeck: Jheronimus Bosch: alle schilderingen en tekeningen. Gent / Amsterdam 2001. (German edition: Hieronymus Bosch. Das Gesamtwerk. Stuttgart 2001)
  • Roger H. Marijhnen: Hieronymus Bosch: The complete work. with the participation of Peter Ruyffelaere. 2nd Edition. Cologne 1999, ISBN 3-88059-971-8 .
  • Erwin Pokorny: Hieronymus Bosch and the paradise of lust. In: Early Modern Information. Vol. 21, issue 1 + 2 (special volume “The Seven Deadly Sins in the Early Modern Age”), 2010, pp. 22–34.
  • Gerd Unverfetern: Hieronymus Bosch: Studies on its reception in the 16th century. Berlin 1980. (Dissertation Göttingen 1974)
  • Gerd Unverfugt: Wine instead of water: Eating and drinking at Jheronimus Bosch. Goettingen 2003.
  • Paul Vandenbroeck: Jheronimus Bosch 'zogenaamde Tuin der Lusten I or II: De Graal of het Valse Liefdespradijs. In: Jaarboek Koninklijk Museum voor Schone Kunsten Antwerp 1989. pp. 9–201 and 1990, pp. 9–193.
  • Clément Antoine Wertheim Aymès: Hieronymus Bosch, an introduction to his secret symbolism depicted on the “Garden of Heavenly Delights”, the hay cart triptych, the Lisbon altar and motifs from other works. Van Ditmar, Amsterdam 1957, OCLC 458955161 .
  • Jean Wirth: Hieronymus Bosch: The Garden of Earthly Delights - Paradise as Utopia. Frankfurt am Main 2000, ISBN 3-596-13382-3 .

Web links

Commons : The Garden of Earthly Delights  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ The Garden of Earthly Delights Triptych - The Collection. Accessed January 28, 2019 .
  2. ^ Ernst Gombrich : Bosch's "Garden of Earthly Delights": A Progress Report. In: Journal of the Warburg and Courtauld Institutes 32 (1969), p. 162.
  3. ^ Wilhelm Fraenger: Hieronymus Bosch - the millennial kingdom. Outlines of an interpretation. Winkler-Verlag, Coburg 1947, OCLC 901078188 .
  4. ^ Stefan Fischer: Hieronymus Bosch: Painting as a vision, teaching image and work of art. (= ATLAS. Bonn Contributions to Art History. Volume 6). Cologne 2009, ISBN 978-3-412-20296-5 . (Dissertation Uni Bonn)
  5. ↑ a b Erwin Pokorny: Hieronymus Bosch and the paradise of lust. In: Early Modern Information. Vol. 21, issue 1 + 2 (special volume “The Seven Deadly Sins in the Early Modern Age” ), 2010, pp. 22–34.
  6. ↑ Guido Boulboullé: Grotesque fear. Hieronymus Bosch's fantasies of hell. In: Christoph Auffarth, Sonja Kerth (Ed.): Faith controversy and laughter: Reformation and laughter culture in the Middle Ages and in the early modern period. LIT Verlag, Berlin 2008, pp. 55–78.