Artists
Hieronymus Bosch
- Country:
- Netherlands
- Birth year:
- 1450
- Death year:
- 1516
Born Hieronymus van Aken, came from a family of painters and probably studied with his father. In 1474 he became a member of the Marien-Bruderschaft, and in 1488 joined the Liebfrauen-Bruderschaft. He was widely known as a painter even during his lifetime, and received important commissions for paintings, stained-glass windows and other decorative work. His works belong to the old Dutch artistic tradition in Style, but his choice of subjects is highly individual. Bosch painted works dealing with many subjects from Christian iconography, and filled them with a dramatic and memorable manner; fantastic and often cruel images dominate in his depictions of Hell and the temptations of the saints. His pictures dealing with the world and its contemporary situation often contain a moral and portray a pessimistic, even cynical view of life. Bosch developed a highly individual style in his works, one characterized by a strong attachment to nature, a strict adherence to certain forms and a sytem of Symbolism that can no longer be fully understood. His depiction of landscapes also achieve some importance. Among the artist's works are the Wedding of Cana, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam; St. John on Patmos'1490-1500, Gemaledegalrie, SMPK, Berlin; and The Vagrant (The Prodigal Son),c. 1510, Museum Boijmans van Beuningen Rotterdam