< How can we estimate Hieronymus Bosch as a surrealist painter or a holy picture painter? >
Have you ever imagined that people are falling from the sky like rain? It is difficult to imagine because it is not in reality. However, René François Ghislain Magritte is famous for surrealist and the 'Golconda' which I suggested as an example is one of his masterworks. Like him, lots of painters try to convey their thought through their paintings. The difference between the general painters and surrealists is that they express their works unrealistically. In surrealism, there is a debate that the beginning person of surrealism is Hieronymus Bosch. Some argue that it is right that he is the root and the other say that he is not but just he is a holy painter. In my opinion, I think he is an altar Portraitist not a surrealist.
Someone may have heard the name 'Hieronymus Bosch'. Also, someone would have seen surrealism paintings interestingly. Therefore, before starting serious supports, I would like to give you some information about my topic: Hieronymus Bosch, Surrealism and altar portraitist. First Hieronymus Bosch is a Dutch artist who often got ordered to draw altarpieces by new Kings because he was a sincere Christian. In his paintings, he depicted heaven and hell, Adam and Eve, and other utopian organisms. Still, his paintings have variety of opinions concerning the category. Second, Surrealism is a way to draw the world of fantasies and non-reality. Painters express their immediate thoughts and imagination through paintings without reason. Lastly, altar portraitist is a painter who draws altar pieces to hang them on the wall of Church. In altar portraits, there are usually depicted contents of Bible and Jesus. The biggest different point between surrealism and altar painting is whether painter is conscious when he or she is painting.
Additionally, I want to tell you one more information. It is the standard of estimating arts, mostly paintings. According to 'Problems of aesthetic value' written by Kim Ok-nyeol which posted in Harang, an Internet art museum named Modern Art specialty Internet, the writer pointed out the problem of evaluating paintings that people are subjective. People need to be objective since artists should choose what they express or what emotions and ideas they would convey before drawing. The article also said that objective evaluation is more important because there are lots of paintings which are formed diversely today. It means people should focus on painters when we estimate their painting.
In a case of Hieronymus Bosch wanted to deliver the facts and beliefs of Christ rather than his imagination largely called Surrealism. From now, I will explain why I think Hieronymus Bosch should be considered an altar painter.
First, we have to consider the intention of painters when we estimate paintings as I referred. Since we can not know what thought the painter had as he had drawn, it is important to figure out the painter’s intention when we see the painting at first. In a case of Hieronymus Bosch, his paintings mostly show how Hieronymus Bosch looked at the world and how he estimated and criticized the world as a Christian. We can confirm through one of his paintings: Garden of Earthly Delights.
According to 'Garden of Earthly Delights' from encyclopedia of Naver knowledge, On the left side of this large triptych represents Eden Park, however, as move our eyes to the middle of the works, the painting describes human world that is full of capricious love which is getting corrupted. Finally, on the right side, he drew evils on the Bible. His work indicates us some moral lessons that as time goes by, human is becoming craven and chopping their ice. Also people are living against the rules of God so that he warns the world of devils with punishments in the future if people continue to show the same behaviors. Not only 'Garden of Earthly Delights', his painting say that people should live as the rule of God. For example, Hieronymus Bosch said foolish of human and the importance of following God through his painting 'The stone operation'. Like this, with his paintings can we know how he is a sincere Christian and he tried to convey his belief and his thoughts by expressing on his paintings. These facts help us to consider him as an altar portraitist.
Second, if we estimate paintings, we should observe subjects and stories in paintings closely. M.C Beardsley said that the standard of art is components in the paintings. Subjects have the significant role because they are similar with main characters and plots in novels. They are a kind of main means to express painters’ ideas. In case of Hieronymus Bosch, he usually conveyed contents, backgrounds and characters of Bible through his paintings. One pictures would explain you why I think: Last judgment.
According to 'Last judgment' from encyclopedia of Naver knowledge, the Last judgment includes the contents of Bible Matthew 13 and 24-25. Matthew 13 of Bible says that as fox-tails are burned at the harvest, the wicked are thrown on the fire while the good would shine like Sun in the world of God at the end of the world. Bosch drew the situation of the end of the world according to Matthew 24-25. The painting is described the punishments. The punishments come from monstrous creatures of Hell. The damned are burned, speared, impaled, hung from butcher hooks, forced to eat impure food or subjects to cogs of bizarre machines. This scene has strong similarities with contents of Bible and reveals intention of Bosch that tried to inform the details of Bible. Therefore in terms of subjects and stories, he is an altar painter.
Third, painting skills could be a factor distinguish painters. For several years, painters have been discriminated according to their skills such as Impressionist, Cubist, Fauvist, Surrealist and the like. According to 'The unique vision and the fantasies of Bosch' from Ibiblio, Hieronymus Bosch used to use Flandre and Impasto techniques which are not related with surrealism when he drew his works. First, the reason he used Flandre, he didn't want to reveal the fact that human made. He selected Flandre style to conceal humane aspects from his paintings so that he hardly signed on the paintings. In fact, he signed only seven of his paintings, and there is uncertainty whether all the paintings once ascribed to him were actually from his hand. Second, the reason he used Impasto technique. Impasto is a way to draw uneven-surface-pictures by covering the colored pigments thick. This way also deny the fact the made by human and leave sacred impression rather than impression that painters took hard work on paintings. It is an apparent difference between altar paintings especially Hieronymus Bosch and Surrealism which uses Decalcomanie, a decorative technique by which engravings and prints may be transferred to pottery or other materials. On the other words, Hieronymus Bosch selected painting skills as a way to express his ideas on his paintings Through Flandre skill he tried to hide that humans is far from perfect and to stand out flawless of God. With considering his intention, we have to categorize him as an altar painter.
Some of the art experts can say that Hieronymus Bosch is the surrealism painter rather than an altarpiece painted one. They insist that he draw characters and would which do not exist in the reality. I agree that and it is of course things because Bosch tried to express the Bible which belongs to regions. People used to have a region to remove the fear and anxiety of their lives and they believe unreality. As a Christian, Hieronymus Bosch wanted to warn about the common misdeeds and convey the contents to the public. Actually he drew monsters, devils, some animals that have horns, Eden park, heaven, evils, Adam and Eve. All of these are contained in Bible. He just tried to express the exact fact from his region without his imagination that requires in Surrealism. I want to emphasize that although his paintings look like surrealism, it is an unavoidable process to describe his belief that are not realistic. Therefore, depending on his intention, he should be categorized to an altarpiece painter rather than a surrealism painter.
Still, the debate that how to categorize Hieronymus Bosch is on the table. This topic may seem not important however a nickname of an ancestor is determined by descendants. If we do not care about great works of ancestor, it is same not to respect them and to miss the development possibility for the future. Moreover, if Hieronymus Bosch is an surrealist, the tree of art should be changed. As I referred, René François Ghislain Magritte is known as the beginning of Surrealism. However if Bosch is, not only it would prove that the erstwhile education is wrong because textbooks and theoretical books have also mistakes but also it says that the standard of evaluating paintings is changed into being subjective.
Although some experts insist that he is a surrealism painter because his paintings involve unrealistic things, I think Hieronymus Bosch should be considered as a holy painter depending on his intentions and his drawing styles on his painting. He expressed his viewpoint of the world and described contents and characters of Bible on his paintings. In addition, he used not related techniques with Surrealism and just used skills to make pictures look sacred. What I want to emphasize through this argument is that we have to focus on intention and styles of the painters. I expect that it would affect greatly in current art world which consider interpretation of appreciators rather than thoughts of painters.
REFERENCES )
- Arts of Hieronymus Bosch
http://sumbolon.blogspot.kr/2014/07/blog-post_57.html
- Last judgement
http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1147501&cid=40942&categoryId=31575
- Garden of Earthly Delights
http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=875400&cid=42645&categoryId=42645
- Definition of Surrealism
http://terms.naver.com/entry.nhn?docId=1116363
- The unique vision and the fantasies of Bosch.
http://www.ibiblio.org/wm/paint/auth/bosch/
http://www.postgallery.co.kr/study/stud5-1.htm
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