El Bosco
Fundamental Paintings to Understand the History of Painting
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The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490-1500). El Bosco
Oil on oak wood board. 220 cm x 389 cm
Prado Museum Madrid, Spain
El Bosco is a painter whose work is very different from all the artists of his time.
Observing this detail of his garden of earthly delights, we may think that he was 400 years ahead in the history of painting since it seems a painting of the 20th century and not of the Renaissance. Part of his work seems to be contemporary of the Expressionist Ensor, or of the Surrealists Max Ernst and Salvador Dalí.
Even when the themes of his paintings were usually religious and he spoke of the Good and the Evil, and about the sin and condemned souls with a certain moralizing tone —which was appropriate for his time— El Bosco did it from a very personal perspective: with irony sarcasm, through pathetic beings, ridiculous characters —even the religious ones— imaginary beasts and grotesque beings.
He had the brilliance of the artist of the 20th century. His technical skill and innovation with color —usually bolder than what was usual at his time— are usually in the background when we stop in front of his works.
The artist invented a universe and developed his own language to communicate it. He does not show us the world but his own vision of the world. What we would say if we had to define modern art in a few words.
Recommended links:
Characteristic Elements of the Painting of the Flemish Primitives.
Artistic Movements I: from Classical Antiquity to Rococo.
The Arnolfini Portrait, Jan van Eyck.
The Money Changer and His Wife, Quentin Massys
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