Week 13: Braden Currier: Garden of Earthly Delights

The Garden of Earthly Delights is Bosch's most impressive work. It is the pinnacle of a lifetime of works characterized by dense meaning and subtle imagery. This triptych could represent the history and future possibilities of mankind according to midieval Christian belief. Being a triptych, a work divided into three destinct sections, it is most likely supposed to be viewed from left to right. The left panel is an illustration of Adam as God is presenting Eve. The center section likely represents temptations and the possibilities of sin. The center panel is characterized by sexuality, as represented by the abudance of nude figures, oversized fruit, and mystical animals. The right division signifies hell and surrounds the issue of eternal damnation. It is clear that Hieronymus Bosch wanted to convey a message to his viewers in the triptych oil painting. The clear divisions and progression from left to right have biblical meaning and are founded upon midieval Christian doctrine. The left panel represents the first sin of man, the middle panel illustrates the possible sins of man, and the final panel on the right, representing hell, is an indication of the consequences of giving in and living a life of sin. Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights tryptich is an example of the pinnacle of his works and a great indication of the influence religion, particularly Christianity, has over art work.