Hieronymous Bosch: A Man Unafraid to Show You His Nightmares

1450-August 9, 1516

Hieronymous Bosch (pronounced Her-on-i-muss Boss) was born Jeroen Anthoniszoon van Aken in 's-Hertogenbosch, Duchy of Brabant, in the Netherlands. His professional name is clearly an illusion to his place of birth. Unfortunately, written records from the area are shoddy, at best, for that time period, so there is not an incredible amount of information on his life. What is known is that he married Aleyt Goyaerts van den Meerveen sometime between 1479 and 1481, and that she was not only a few years older than the artist, but also from a wealthy family. While his exact date of birth is unknown, there are records of his date of expiration.


What is hotly discussed about Bosch is not information about the man, but the intricate, colorful, and often frightening images that he painted. He is well known for painting triptychs dealing with the morality of man and the price mankind will pay for its sinning ways. For the uninformed, a triptych is (usually) a style of painting in which the piece is made of three panels, each panel representing a smaller portioner of a greater work. There are two "wings" connected to a (normally) larger center piece. These wings can be folded in or positioned at various angles.

The Garden of Earthly Delights

Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights is easily his most recognizable work. This triptych shows three separate scenes, which can each be viewed as there own separate entity. But, when viewed together, tells the story of humanity. The leftmost piece is a scene of Adam & Eve partaking in the splendor that is The Garden of Eden. The center painting is of all of the wonderment that is found on Earth. Finally, the last piece of the triptych shows the punishment that the sinners who abuse their privileges on Earth face in the afterlife. As you can see, Bosch was never one to shy away from the horror and fear that was Hell and damnation, and his paintings were often a warning to people to live their lives to the fullest, but to also be wary of what is right and good...and what is most certainly not.


More of Bosch's work:

Hermit Saints

Temptation of St. Anthony

Martyrdom of St. Liberata