A Journey Through Heaven & Hell With Hieronymus Bosch.
An exhaustive occult and symbolic study of two works.
I. Introduction
Hieronymus Bosch has defied pretty much all art historical methods in the study of both his work and work done in his style. Bosch’s work is psychologically raw, yet psychology in and of itself cannot pin his work and its intended message down. Indeed, Bosch has often been called “the first Surrealist”. One would be forgiven for viewing Bosch’s work for the first time and thinking it was created during the Surrealist Movement with the unconscious being splayed not just on canvas but in the public mind; guided in method by the great works of Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung. Dali had a great talent for showmanship and hobnobbing with many crowds to get his art into the world: a famous line of his being, “I am Surrealism.” Bosch, however, was Surrealism more than 400 years before the greats of the movement like Salvador Dali and Rene Magritte were even born.
So, what is the best light, the understanding that is best employed, to view his work? Bosch’s work has been labeled “demon making,” yet the folklore and religion of his time are not sufficient to pin down his work and its intended message. His work has been examined in light of alchemical and Rosicrucian traditions; yet these esoteric schools are…
