The Dutch Masters: Bosch

The career of Hieronymus Bosch is among the most mysterious of all the great artists of history. Though he was well-known by the time of his death in 1516, virtually nothing of his life is known today. His surviving works are also deeply enigmatic, highly symbolic images filled with the spirit of the Middle Ages. But the appeal of Bosch’s work has long outlasted the late medieval age in which he lived. Though his art addressed the human follies of his own time, the satirical humor that he used can still be readily appreciated today. His intensely spiritual images of Christ and the Saints also continue to inspire many modern students, but it is Bosch’s remarkable visions of the fantastic that are, undoubtedly, his greatest achievement.