The Garden of Earthly Delights

Hieronymus Bosch, a Netherlandish painter known for his interpretations of hell, death, sin and foolishness through symbolism, created The Garden of Earthly Delights around 1505.

Our book only shows the middle panel of The Garden of Earthly Delights but it is really a triptych, a painting consisting of three panels, one square, middle panel and a left and right rectangular panel. It is painted in oil on wood and is 220 x 389 cm. If the painting is interpreted from left to right in chronological order, it seems as if it is an educational warning on the dangers of life’s temptations.

The left panel depicts the moment when God presents Eve to Adam in the Garden of Eden.  God is raising his right hand to give their union is blessing. The scene includes rabbits, a symbol of fertility and the ability to reproduce, and a dragon tree, which represents eternal life.  Historian Virginia Tuttle describes this scene as “highly unconventional and cannot be depicted in Western art.” And many critics believe there is a lustful tone to this panel. Adam’s gaze, Eve’s suggestive body, and phallic symbols such as a snake and a mouse give a sexual hint to viewers.

The middle panel is known for its intricate use of symbolism. Critics either believe it is a moral warning or a lost paradise. It depicts an expansive garden crowded with male and female nudes, featuring blacks, whites, animals, fruits, and plants of all varieties. Magical creatures and real people mingle among over-sized fruits and succumb to the pleasures available to them. Those who argue it is paradise see the couples behaving without indignity, innocently enjoying a wide range of activities. The eroticism could be considered as an symbol of humanity or a land of corruption. Some of the figures are covered in light brown hair, this could be a symbol of these men and women being savages or representing primitive man. It makes the viewer wonder if they are committing sin or acting on their primal instincts and carnal lust.

In theory, this panel represents what would have been had Adam and Eve not been driven out of the Garden of Eden.

The right panel illustrates Hell, a common setting Bosch depicts in his works of art. This panel is much harsher compared to the panels before it filled with fire, demons, torture chambers, and war.  Eroticism is gone and some of the figures now try to cover their nudeness while others are shown vomiting and excreting. People are suffering the consequences of their sins.

For more symbolism found in The Garden of Earthly Delights click here! And even more here!

The Garden of Earthly Delights is important to this era because during the Middle Ages, lust was seen as a man’s weakness and the most foul of the seven deadly sins.  Art historian Ludwig von Baldass once wrote that Bosch shows “how sin came into the world through the Creation of Even, how fleshly lusts spread over the entire earth, promoting all the Deadly Sins, and how this necessarily leads straight to Hell.” This piece definitely has religious context in relation to Adam and Eve, the Seven Deadly Sins, damnation to Hell, and the Christian symbolism included.

When I first saw the piece I thought maybe Bosch was sarcastic towards to belief of lust and its correlation to going to Hell because of how over the top the middle and right panel are. It’s still uncertain to people whether or not the center panel is paradise or a disgusting land filled with sin but this opinion lies in the eyes of the viewer. I think whether or not Adam and Eve were forced out of the Garden of Eden, our world would be filled with sexuality and lust. If damnation is where we’re headed for our carnal instincts, shouldn’t we enjoy the forbidden fruit while we still can?

Humanism

The renaissance literally meant "rebirth" and that is what this time period was. The Dark Ages were behind them and a new start was ahead of them. The Humanist Movement was born and scholars in the 15th and 16th centuries believed that life was no longer determined by God but by the individual living it. This movement would glorify humanity and has evolved since then and is still practiced today. 

Renaissance Humanism is what inspired the creativity during this time period. From Humanism came Humanities (studia humanitatis) which is the study of classical culture and a group of subjects. These studies include poetry, grammar, speech, ethics, and history. They were focused on scholastic training that would allow more professions and opportunities. Because this new movement encouraged individuals to depend on themselves as opposed to "God's plan", Renaissance Humanists became more involved in politics, education, and their responsibilities as citizens. Humanists were typically more open-minded and were less concerned with the past and more concerned with their future and what they could take from the past to better their future.

Francesco Pertrarca, better known as Petrarch, was one of the earliest humanists and was often called the "Father of Humanism."  He believed that God had given humans potential intellectually and creatively so that they could use it to its fullest. Petrarch found it extremely important to educate oneself of human thought and action by studying ancient history and literature. He was a devout Catholic man who didn't see a conflict between humanity's potential and his faith in God. He had a desire to improve the world and also admired the world of antiquity.

Taking Petrarch's lead, scholars during the 14th century were collecting and studying ancient works. The humanism philosophy was spreading through Italy and other parts of Europe. Because different parts of Europe had different histories, their versions of humanism varied. Italian humanists identified more with Rome when Northern Europeans held stronger ties to Christianity. 

Today, Humanism is still practiced. Humanism has been argued to be a religion by some Humanists and from this argument,  3 groups of humanists have developed. 

Reglious Humanism, which combines humanism with religious rituals.

Secular Humanism, which suggests humans can be ethical/moral without religion.

and those who view Humanism as a life stance.

"Humanists are divided into two camps... according to how they respond to the word "religion". Do they... respond negatively or positively? The ferocity of the antipathy on the one hand, and the power of the concern on the other, that is generated by this word quite obliterates reasoned discussion of many substantial and important questions on how we should develop Humanism. Likewise, our discussions with the god-religious are confused and frustrated. We need a new term for the idea and ideal of religion, opened out so that it is not discriminatory. Let this be "life stance". Could we, perhaps, bury the hatchet of "religion" and work together?" Stopes-Roe

Click here to see even more types of humanists. 

The future of humanities? It is known as Digital Humanities,which combines traditional humanities with computing tools to integrate technology into the study.  

(This video is lengthy, but it gives a good idea of how the future of Digital Humanities would work, other samples are available here)

We continue to study ancient language, literature, religion, art forms, history, and philosophy through these academic disciplines known as Humanities. 

As time marches on more history will be collected to be studied by future humanities scholars, languages will continue to be analyzed, new laws, literature and art will be created, philosophy and religion will press on and so will the study of Humanities that was imagined during the Renaisannce period and will continue for as long as the world creates history. 

Humanists will also continue to search for their purpose on Earth and our individual responsibility create our own path. 

For more on Humanism, visit the American Humanist Association website!

The Capitoline Wolf

The Capitoline Wolf is a large bronze statue (75cm x 114cm) created between 5^th century BC and the 15^th century in Rome, Italy. The sculpture depicts infant boys, Romulus and Remus, suckling from a she-wolf.  These twin boys were found and raised by this she-wolf after they had been thrown into the Tiber River.

Little is known about exactly where and when the statue was created. Some sources say the she-wolf was first sculpted and the twins were added some time later by sculptor, Antonio Pollaiolo. This is plausible because the separate figures have differing styles. The she-wolf looks less realistic than the infants, the edges are sharper and the animal does not resemble the typical wolf. Young Romulus and Remus look like cherubs, with smooth edges and more life-like features. This leads me, and other viewers, to believe that this piece was created by more than one artist. 

In the history of this article, it explains the history of the sculpture and when the twins were added to the piece.

I believe this statue is both a historical and social piece of work. Because Ancient Romans believed that the twins, Romulus and Remus, were the founders of Rome, this statue was an iconic representation of the birth of their city.

Because the wolf is a massive creature and the children are very small, I'd say the wolf is the focal point. Though the twins are an important part of this piece and to Ancient Roman history and mythology, none of it would have been possible without the she-wolf to rescue and nurse the boys. I think she is the most important element in the sculpture because she is a savior, a mother, and, by look of her stance and alert look on her face, she is their protector. 

When I first saw this piece, I was taken back. It is not every day that you see infants nursing from a wolf. Without knowing the story of Romulus and Remus, I would say this piece was somewhat disturbing. It makes all the difference in the world knowing the back story because I find this piece, and the mythology, very beautiful. There are always stories of animals adopting other species but never one involving human babies. 

This also made me wonder about the phrase: "were you raised by wolves!?" Which is usually a negative or insulting saying. Wolves supposedly make wonderful mothers and obviously the boys turned into successful founders of Rome. But only one brother survived - Remus insulted and belittled his city and was killed. Perhaps because he had bad manners from being raised by a wolf.