Hieronymus Bosch is one of the most mysterious painters of the Middle Ages, whose work still evokes the most controversial assessments. The exact date of his birth is unknown; various sources indicate that this happened in the period from 1450 to 1460. It is established that the beginning of his work falls on the middle of the 70s of the 15th century, since in the documents that have come down there is a mention of Bosch as a painter who worked on the decoration of the chapel of the Cathedral of St. John in his hometown of the Netherlands - 's-Hertogenbosch.
Bosch's paintings amazed contemporaries, and many were plunged into real horror. So talented and bizarre he portrayed human vices and fears, prejudices and nonsense, and even in a satirical grotesque form on the verge of phantasmagoria. There were people who thought Bosch was mentally ill; there were also those who claimed that he was a spirit, alchemist and master of occult sciences; some believed that the painter fell under the influence of evil spirits.
This master was so ahead of his time, his work was so unusual, violating all the canons, that the artist was only miraculously not brought to the court of the Inquisition, being recognized as a heretic and servant of the devil. Indeed, even in the twentieth century, surrealist artists led by the famous Salvador Dali named Bosch an honorary professor of nightmares. In a sense, Hieronymus Bosch can be considered the very first surrealist. It is likely that he really was not completely normal in the generally accepted sense of the word. Or, which is also quite possible, he just had an overly rich imagination.
A hundred years after his death on August 9, 1516, the brilliant and mysterious painter was completely forgotten. And only a few more centuries later it was "discovered" anew. It has become very prestigious to have Bosch's paintings in the painting collection. At present, art critics confidently attribute 25 paintings and 8 drawings to the artist's creative heritage. The richest collection of works by Bosch now adorns the famous Prado Gallery in Madrid.
The artist's death day - August 9 - is considered the day of his memory. In his hometown of 's-Hertogenbosch, there has been a Bosch Center since 2007, where copies of his creations are displayed. On Memorial Day, many visitors come there, for whom concerts and performances are given. Those interested can visit an impromptu museum - the artist's workshop, recreated to the smallest detail typical of the times of Bosch.
