Moralist or heretic? The explicit sexual activity and fantastical animal and plant life presented by Dutch artist Hieronymus Bosch was far beyond the work being presented by any of his contemporaries.
"His work is known for its use of fantastic imagery to illustrate moral and religious concepts and narratives," says Wikipedia.
But was it for the sake of moral education? Writing that might explain his intent or the reception accorded the work is non-existent. "He left behind no letters or diaries. Nothing is known of his personality or his thoughts on the meaning of his art."
It is known that he became a popular painter in his lifetime and often received commissions from abroad. In 1488 he joined the highly respected Brotherhood of Our Lady, an arch-conservative religious group.
The oil on panel tritych called The Garden of Earthly Delights is his masterwork. It depicts paradise, with Adam and Eve and many wondrous animals on the left panel, the earthly delights with numerous nude figures and tremendous fruit and birds on the middle panel, and hell with depictions of fantastic punishments of the various types of sinners on the right panel.
In recent decades, scholars have accepted that his art reflects the orthodox religious belief systems of his age.[citation needed] His depictions of sinful humanity, his conceptions of Heaven and Hell are now seen as consistent with those of late medieval didactic literature and sermons.
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