I first became familiar with the work of Hieronymus Bosch in a high school European History class. The professor loved this 15th century, Netherlandish painter, and I too was immediately drawn to the intricate, methodical nature of his work. You could say Bosch sits among the pantheon of artists that are always stirring in the back of my brain. I went on to name my pet chameleon simply, Hiero. And just last year I finally got to see a Bosch up close; his most famous work, The Garden of Earthly Delights, at the Museo del Prado in Madrid. The piece is actually a triptych depicting Adam and Eve's paradise on the left, a myriad of nude figures and mythical creatures in the central panel, and a hellish landscape on the right.
Needless to say when a client asked to replicate a Bosch onto a card I was excited to take on such a challenge. As Bosch's works are endlessly detailed I immediately knew that I could only accomplish a small section of one of his paintings on my 63x88mm canvas. And as Bosch's rendition of Hell is particularly freakish, I knew that had to be my choice. So without further adieu, here's the bottom right section from Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights.
