As part of the celebration of the 500th Anniversary of Hieronymous Bosch's death (c.1450-1516), the Accademia Gallery in Venice is showing some recently restored paintings.
John and I had the pleasure of seeing the Dutch painter's triptch's and panels on our recent visit to the gallery. Bosch is considered one of the masters of Northern Renaissance painting but is surely one of the first Surrealist painters as well.
Consider the Santa Liberata Triptych. A king tried to impose a marriage on his Christian daughter. Her virgin prayers were answered by a miraculous overnight growth of beard. This repulsed her suitor but led to her crucifixion and subsequent Sainthood.
Bosch was a master of the bizarre. In his own time he was famous as "the Devil's painter". The holy men of the Hermit Saints Triptych are surrounded by landscapes and creatures of a frightening, surreal world.
Here are some details.
Similarly, the following details from the Visions of the Hereafter panels picture a world of dreams and nightmares.
A detail from Hell
and a detail from The Ascent to Heaven. The Devil's Painter indeed!
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