Talk:The Garden of Earthly Delights/Influence (draft)

Pieter Bruegel the Elder's The Triumph of Death, c. 1562. While Bruegel's Hellscape was influenced by The Garden's right panel, his hordes are not demons but are skeletons, while his aesthetic betrays a more pessimistic view of humanity's fate.

Links

• Guardian on NG show
• chapter here
• The big fish 6th row is an engraving of a Bruegel drawing, claimed by the publisher Cock to be a Bosch (inscription in pic at left), one of several Boschian works commissioned from Bruegel by Cock (like the one below - very poor repro).
• more and source for Bruegel as "second Bosch" p.266.
• Giornale Nuovo

- all these from a Google of "Bosch and Bruegel" Johnbod (talk) 01:23, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Another Cock/Bruegel, I think also a Bruegel composition

Bosch and Surrealism

This article seems important:[1] Miró, Bosch and Fantasy Painting, by Gerta Moray, The Burlington Magazine, Vol. 113, No. 820 (Jul., 1971), pp. 387-391 (article consists of 5 pages) The article gives examples of Miro directly quoting The Garden of Earthly Delights and other paintings by Bosch. Modernist (talk) 11:19, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

This is the one I mentioned in this post. It looks pretty useful. I can send you on a copy if you can't access the full text. Kafka Liz (talk) 14:39, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Hey Liz, yeah I can't access the whole article...Can you add stuff to the draft below? Modernist (talk) 18:15, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

• This book looks promising - (I'm looking) Joan Miro, by James Thrall Soby (1959) p.138 ...Modernist (talk) 21:39, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Will do. I'll try to see if I can get some of the books you've mentioned as well. Kafka Liz (talk) 18:19, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

This link: [2] discusses the Treeman as Bosch's self-portrait, delineating all it sins as Bosch's own, the claim that Breton mentions Bosch in the First Surrealist Manifesto (1924) is false however. Modernist (talk) 11:31, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

This link: [3]Discusses Salvador Dali, his painting The Great Masturbator, (1930) and The Garden of Earthly Delights... Modernist (talk) 11:40, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

This link: [4] the Art of the 20th Century: Painting By Karl Ruhrberg, Manfred Schneckenburger, Ingo F. Walther, pp137-138...Modernist (talk) 11:54, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

This link: [5] to a very interesting article Surrealism, Alchemy, and the Northern Renaissance by S. Lee Hager ©....Modernist (talk) 12:02, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

This link:[6] Hieronymous Bosch, The First Surrealist, by Anthony Christian is an interesting personal essay...Modernist (talk) 12:24, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Apparently this is published out there somewhere too: Max Ernst's favourite painters and poets of the past which includes Bosch and Breughel. Modernist (talk) 11:22, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Werner Spies and Sabine Rewald, eds. Max Ernst: A Retrospective. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2005. xvii + 301 pp. Illustrations, notes, chronology, bibliography, index (cloth), ISBN 978-0-300-10718-0.

Thomas Gaehtgens' chapter "Max Ernst and the Great Master" sets out to demonstrate that Ernst's work is significantly informed by the artist's knowledge of art history. Beginning with a list of Ernst's favorite poets and painters published in the Surrealist magazine View in 1941, Gaehtgens traces his borrowing and modification of Old Master works by Dürer, Raphael, Grünewald, and others. In each case, the artist transforms the original completely so that it is far removed from its original context, and Gaehtgens relishes tracking down the various sources, as Werner Spies has done in earlier publications. This exhaustive study of source and iconography of Ernst's artwork, Gaehtgens asserts, is necessary because although viewers "can certainly explore the bizarre world of his pictures without knowing his models, if they do, they will fail to appreciate the exciting creative process behind his inventions" (p. 37).

Bosch and Dante

This link: [7] an interesting essay - Dante's Inferno Vs Bosch's Garden Of Earthly Delights Modernist (talk) 14:28, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

Yes its a good basis, but not a RS, sadly. Ceoil (talk) 22:47, 26 May 2008 (UTC)

It seems as though Dante was a large figure to come to grips with in that era. He essentally defines the subject, - of heaven, purgatory and hell; defies the powers that be, writes from (exile), under threat of a (death sentence), and still transcends pretty much the political perils of the various city states to complete his world changing masterpiece. I haven't found a ref tying Bosch to the Divine Comedy, but if Bosch was painting elephants and giraffes, it's obvious he knew about the southern artists in Italy. Modernist (talk) 01:24, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

But this is an article about Bosch, not Dante. We are interested in the elements that Bosh may have borrowed, not in the context or detail of Dante's life. We have already tied the giraffe, more or less, to Ciriaco de' Pizzicolli? Jesus, this is difficult. Ceoil (talk) 01:31, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

This is worth pursing Visio Tnugdali, and the Marmion manuscript. Johnbod (talk) 18:02, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Thanks. Its linked in the 'Prince of Hell' caption, but not mentioned in the main text - no substantial link found in any of the Bosch sources. Might have a look in some texts covering the Tnugdali itself. Ceoil ^sláinte 18:08, 19 June 2008 (UTC)

Also interesting [8] The turin-milan Hours are on my to-do list. Johnbod (talk) 17:22, 21 June 2008 (UTC)

Draft

Martin Schongauer Temptation of St Anthony, 1480s

If this can be cited; it should be added. Ceoil (talk) 00:57, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Admittedly we are hard pressed right now to cite anything beyond that link. I'm trying to create a matrix below that's gonna have to be referenced. Join in, give it a shot. I want to cover Breughel, Arcimboldo, Blake, Fuseli, Dore, Redon, Gustave Moreau and then Surrealism, Dali, Miro, Magritte, etc.Modernist (talk) 02:42, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Dunno about this below - needs a lot of citing. Did "Dante's Divine Comedy ... work successfully tested and expanded the boundaries of what was permissible by the Church"? Prima facie it seems pretty conventional, not least in the Inferno. There's no reason to believe Bosch was very aware of it, or Durer, is there?. Personally I would leave Archimboldo out of it. I certainly think that in the absence of much classical awareness, as found in Italy, the Northern Renaissance, and the relaxing of traditional constraints on iconography (partly from the church and partly just from lack of examples before), saw artists pursuing their imagination to some extreme places (Grunewald too for example). Martin Schongauer did some fantastic monster/devils Bosch was much more likely to have been aware of than Dante. But this would need citing. I doubt if Blake or probably Fuseli were aware of Bosch - as we've seen with Velasquez & Goya, art in Spain was relatively little known until about the 1830s. With Bruegel the connection is very clear; an impolite person would say he began his career faking Bosches. Johnbod (talk) 23:03, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

One of the sources above says his imitation was motivated by Bosch's commercial cachet, however, its a blog and can't be used. Agree on Blake and Fuseli, and Archimboldo; though the image below does suggest....., at least common influences Ceoil (talk) 23:08, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I can source the Cock/Bruegel to print, but not tonight, or this Google search looks productive. Johnbod (talk) 23:12, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

Obviously I'm throwing a lot into the draft to get a form going. In the course of this draft I have read that Dante was pushing the limits, and shook people up, he was way ahead of everyone else in actually describing and going to Hell, I'll try to find a legitimate cite if I can. Wasn't Dante sentenced to death for a while? He seems like a towering figure still. I've read that Miro saw Bosch in Spain...and is directly influenced by him and quotes The Garden of Earthly Delights around 1922, 1923-24, Breton on the other hand writes the Surrealist Manifesto in 1924 and doesn't mention any dead artists except Seurat and Uccello, safe and reasonable assumption is that he never heard of Bosch by 1924. Dali on the other hand clearly knows and like Miro is influenced by The Garden of Earthly Delights. Max Ernst and Magritte are supposedly both inspired by Bosch, and I think its a reasonable assumption that after the Breton Manifesto, and Miro and Dali's input - the liklihood of Bosch being an historical forerunner of Surrealism and a direct influence on them after 1924 is likely. I'm unsure about Blake and Fuseli - Johnbod is probably right about Blake not knowing Bosch's work. Fuseli, traveled a lot, but I think its a stretch. The Archimboldo however is so compelling that I think we should hold onto it. Ceoil's caption hits the nail on the head. Breughel is clearly important. Johnbod is the expert there as usual. Modernist (talk) 23:55, 27 May 2008 (UTC)

I'd cut the first para and replace with a disclaimer: Bosch was too individual an artist, and his imagery too tied medievalism, that outside Bruegel he had few imitators. However, the fantastical elements of his work influenced the surealists, and echoes of his imagery can be detected in Archimboldo, etc. Then 3 short paras; Bruegel, Archimboldo, and the surrelaists, and out. Ceoil (talk) 00:10, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Sounds good. What do the Bosch books say on when Bosch became well known again - presumably the 18th century did not approve of him? Johnbod (talk) 01:47, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Not covered, so far as I've found. The danger here is OR. Ceoil (talk) 01:59, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Agreed the OR is inevitable here till the cites show up...Modernist (talk) 04:17, 28 May 2008 (UTC)

Legacy

Pieter Bruegel the Elder's Mad Meg, 1562. While Bruegel's Hellscapes were influenced by The Garden's right panel, his aesthetic betrays a more pessimistic view of humanity's fate.

As Bosch was such a distinctly unique and visionary artist his influence has not spread as wide as other major artists of his era. However, there have been instances of later artists incorporating elements of The Garden of Earthly Delights into their own works. Pieter Brueghel the Elder (c.1525-1569) in particular directly acknowledged Bosch as an important influence and inspiration, and incorporated many elements of The Garden of Earthly Delights's inner right panel in several of his most well known works. Brueghel paintings Mad Meg depicts a peasant woman leading an army of women to pillage Hell, while his c.1562 The Triumph of Death echoes the monstrous Hellscape of The Garden and utilizes, according to the Royal Museum of Fine Arts, Antwerp, the same "unbridled imagination and the fascinating colours".

Winter, 1573, by Giuseppe Arcimboldo. The concept of the "Tree-man", the hybrid organism and the engorged fruit all bear hallmarks of Bosch's Garden.

While the Italian court painter Giuseppe Arcimboldo c.1527-1593, wasn't a creator of Hellscapes, he created a body of strange and "fantastic" vegetable portraits—heads of people comprised from plants, roots, webs and various other nefarious organic matter. These strange portraits rely on a motif that was in part inspired and visually echoes the willingness Bosch shows in the central panel to break from strict and faithful representations of nature.

During the second and third decade of the 20th-century Bosch's work enjoyed a popular resurrection; the early surrealists fascination with dreamscapes; the autonomy of the imagination, and a free flowing connection to the unconscious; brought about a renewed interest in his work. Bosch's imagery struck a chord with Joan Miro and Salvador Dali in particular. Both knew his paintings firsthand, having seen The Garden of Earthly Delights in the Museo del Prado, and both regarded him as an art-historical mentor. Miro’s The Tilled Field contains several parallels to Bosch’s Garden': similar flocks of birds; pools from which living creatures emerge; and oversize disembodied ears all echo the Dutch master’s work. However these artists have a very different world view from Bosch, and the writer Fèlix Fanés observed that while Bosch's starting point was "medieval theology and a literal belief in the afterlife", the surrealists sought to destroy "the barriers, both physical and physic, between the conscious and the unconscious mind." The French critic Roger Caillios examined the correlation in symbolism between Dali and Bosch, and found much commonality. In particular he drew attention to the device of a woman impaled on the strings of a musical instrument, a motif which he believes Dali borrowed from center ground of The Garden's right panel.