Hieronymus Bosch

[bibblebub]

I am watching the BBC2 programme that's on at the moment. I've only ever looked at his art in a general way before, not particularly the details of the images, and was wondering what others made of his work.

The fantastic / surrealistic imagery has a fascination to it that is enhanced by the level of detail involved in the works. I might be an atheist but that doesn't mean that religious representation is uninteresting, even more so when it is non-conformist.

[Buenchico]

Being an atheist doesn't prevent me from enjoying religious works of art. I see them as akin to art depicting Greek or Roman mythology.

Bosch is an artist whose works can make me what to look at them for ages. However I find that's more out of 'intellectual curiosity' rather than really 'falling in love with' the works. I can't 'bond' with his paintings in the same way that I can with, say, the works of Turner.

This current thread might be of interest to you:
http://www.theanswerb...e/Question950444.html

Chris

[andy-hughes]

I too find Bosch's work fascinating to look at - because of the vast amount of detail involved, and the imagination it must have required to conceive these works.

Bosch lived and painted at a time when the notions of hell and damnation were very real, and considered very close - so he is very much of his time.

I don't think a faith, or absence of it, affects anyone's enjoyment and appreciation of art.

[jno]

I thought the programme was pretty rubbish. It was advertised as explaining much of the painting, which is extremely obscure and tantalising, but in the end he just said 'I don't know, work it out yourself.' I still like his paintings but I'm none the wiser.

[RATTER15]

Ive never heard of this artist being a bit of a philistine, however the style did ring a bell with me, an Elton John Album cover http://www.pergunnareriksson.se/cover15.htm is this taken from his work or a style that has been copied?

[jno]

I think that's standard psychedelic-style artwork, Ratter, and Bosch's work did have some influence on that, as did the underground artists of the late 1960s in America. Alan Aldridge was Penguin's art director, I tink, and a lot of his own painting was done with airbrushes.