The Story Behind these Hieronymus Bosch Prints

Hieronymus Bosch (c.1450-1516) was a Dutch artist of the Northern Renaissance, most famous for painting surreal scenes such as Garden of Earthly Delights, which depicts a variety of biblical figures and fantasy creatures. There are several theories about his inspiration and technique, though he clearly had a preoccupation with morality and religion. Hieronymus Bosch prints often reflected the genuine fear of demonic forces that was current within his culture in the 15th century.

He often depicted a hermit monk, named St Anthony, in many of his paintings. One theory around Bosch’s imaginative style is that he may have been suffering from St Anthony’s Fire, which is an illness with hallucinogenic symptoms, brought on by the ingestion of fungus-contaminated rye bread.

Bosch pulled references from medieval Christian art that also depicted some surreal and demonic creatures. He further developed them by adding perspective and vivid colour. The imagination throughout his artwork is fascinating; vibrant, twisted, and mysterious. He went on to be cited as a major influence on future artists such as Bruegel the Elder amongst others.