Thursday, February 16, 2012

Garden of Earthly Delights

This was definitely my most favorite piece that we've studied this chapter, maybe even my favorite of all the art we've looked at this semester.  This painting is just so imaginative in comparison to some of the other paintings like portraits and other paintings were it's just perfectly rendered people, I really admire Bosch's originality. Another thing I particularly enjoy is how he chose to paint something that really doesn't focus all that much on a particular bible story like some artists but it is kind of religious. Especially the first panel which shows Adam and Eve in the garden of Eden, this panel is interesting because there really isn't too much going on and it contrasts heavily with the other panels. It is very peaceful and is also the only panel that features God which i thought was intriguing. The other two panels are more philosophical panels, and these panels interested me more. Theres just so much bizzare things going and it all means something. I'll list some that i spoted and found very weird: an owl is the head of two human bodies, the people embracing under the buble hood (interesting contrast to the people completely enclosed in the bubble), a man or woman having flowers put in there uhmmm bum, and the  naked man upside down in the lake with a strawberry ontop of his crotch. I have no idea what any of this means but i know the general idea is that  earthly pleasures as seen in the center panel sow the seeds of the destruction seen in the right panel. This panel is equally as bizzare there's a lute/harp instrument crushing a man, people climbing a ladder into a deformed giants insides, a pig dressed as a nun as well as what appears to be a man defecating underneath the blue creature on a throne ( the blue creature also appears to be pooping out a man...).  The last panel has such strong juxtaposition. Going  from such a whimsical center with bright inviting colors to the dark right  is so sudden but interesting. I would really be interested in have a really large copy of this so i can notice even more or just read a square inch by square inch interpretation of this painting

4 comments:

  1. I definitely love this piece too. There's a level of symbolism and bizarre truth that captivates me. There's so much going on but what I love of about that is that it gives the opportunity to get more and more form it with each time you look at it. However, I'd have to disagree with you're describing the center panel as whimsical. I would agree that it's vividly colored and lively, however, its content is far from whimsical. It's the progression from The Garden of Eden : perfection to human domination (earthly chaos) to the hellish consequences. I do agree the center panel and the right panel seems somewhat sudden due to the clash of colors but it really does make sense. But I really do love this piece! It's so intricate and telling.

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  2. This is like one of those I Spy or Where's Waldo type of piece, except with a whole lot more symbolism. Every time you look at it there is something new to discover. What always intrigues me about this is that the outside has such a different tone than the inside in both color and tone. One is so peaceful and the over vibrant and almost overly crowded with character.

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  3. This piece is interesting. I must agree that you can't see everything in one glance; I never noticed the emptying of bowels in any form. I still don't see it. The center is intriguing in that it's overly busy, yet simultaneously organized as it draws the viewer in.

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  4. It is an awesome painting, despite all of the crazy things going on in it. From a more zoomed out view it looks more like a battlefield, than a large gathering of people. But it's unique in the sense that there is a large crowd, but the painting doesn't look as crowded, I guess because of its size.

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