Volume 8, Number 3 · February 23, 1967
Bosch of Hertogenbosch
By Ernst Gombrich
Hieronymus Bosch
by Charles de Tolnay
Reynal, in association with William Morrow, 460 pp., $47.50
An age which has witnessed a vogue for the 'theater of cruelty' must be responsive to the art of Jerome Bosch. Not that this great painter was in need of rediscovery; but the presentation of his oeuvre in a book weighing nine pounds and costing nearly fifty dollars clearly relies, as a publishing venture, on the topical appeal of his fantasies. But this topicality is deceptive. Cruelty, alas, may be in fashion. Hell is not. The anxieties depicted by Bosch are concerned with the eternal torment that awaits the sinner. Indulge yourself in eating, and your reward will not be an increase in cholesterol, but toads for breakfast in all eternity. Lose your temper and you will be chopped to bits by specialist devils for ever and ever and ever. For 'beware, beware,'—as we read on Bosch's Table Top in the Prado—'the Lord sees.'
Review, 3836 words
To read the full text of this piece, please choose one of the following options:
|
If you are already a subscriber to the Review's electronic edition, please sign in: |
To subscribe to the electronic edition, please press the button below. |
To purchase access to this article for $3, please press the button below. |