Hieronymus Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights takes a special place in European art history, partly because of the special late-medieval imagery. The meaning of the painting, however, differs according to every expert. After extensive research, Reindert Falkenburg brings us the most current interpretation of this mysterious painting. The masterpiece that Bosch painted shortly before 1500, was probably commissioned by Henry III of Naussau, who ordered the work for his palace in Brussels. Within a wooden canvas of more than two meters long and three meters high, Bosch painting presents us with both scenes from the earthly paradise and hell, inhabited by imaginary creatures, witches and demons. The Garden of Earthly Delights actually consists of four paintings: a performance in the closed position (outside) and three performances in the open position (inside). These four representations are physically connected and they have related content. It is believed that the performance in the closed position should be seen as an introduction to the main show on the inside. The unique imagery of Bosch has always raised questions and there is no consensus about the precise meaning of the monumental triptych. Most authors agree that in this work the painter exposes the sinfulness of humanity. The latest insights assume that this painting represents a false paradise in which humanity is to imagine a situation as it was before the Fall. A world without a sense of danger and without knowledge of good and evil. In The Land of Unlikeness, Reindert Falkenburg approaches the painting and the interpretation thereof from the viewpoint of the potential commissioner and his world of living and thinking. This title presents for the first time the detailed analysis of Falkenburg, which reveals a fascinating picture of the cultural climate in which The Garden of Earthly Delights could arise. Contents:Preface; Interpretation; Preamble; Glosses on the Garden of Earthly Delights Double Images in Bosch's Epigones; The Mouth of Hell; Upper and Under-World ; The Creator, Man and Woman; Visual Typology; The Fountain of Life ; Mnemonic Imagery; The Root of Evil; Wonders of Nature; The Burgeoning of Evil; Somnium and Insomnium; Marching Mountains; L'Espace de l'Artifice; Courtly Amusement: Park Hesdin; Entremets; Courtly Love; L'État Sauvage; Ye Shall Know Them by Their Fruits; Through a Glass, Darkly; A Glimpse of Hell; The Tree-Man; The Region of Dissemblance; Lucifer's Rule; The Land of Unlikeness; Spectators and Speculators; Princely Mirror; Notes; Bibliography; Credits. AUTHOR: Reindert Falkenburg studies the visual arts primarily from the perspective of image/viewer relationships. His scholarly interest regard works by 16th-century Dutch and Flemish masters, such as Hieronymus Bosch and Pieter Bruegel. Professor Falkenburg currently works as Dean of Humanities GArts at NYU Abu Dhabi. He served as chair of the Art History Department at Leiden University in The Netherlands and previous to that was Professor of Western Art and Religion at the Graduate Theological Union in Berkeley, California, Deputy Director of the Netherlands Institute for Art History and Research Fellow of the Royal Dutch Academy of Sciences. SELLING POINTS: ?Prelude to the internationally celebrated Year of Hieronymus Bosch in 2016, which commemorates the artist's death 500 years ago ?After extensive research, renowned art critic Reindert Falkenburg now brings us the most probable explanation of this mysterious masterwork ILLUSTRATIONS: 240 colour t10 b/w
