Bosch

I picked up a book on Bosch from the local library and finding myself sick and unable to work over the past few days, finally had the chance to go through it. I was lucky enough to see some of Bosch's paintings when I was in Belgium in the fall. These are paintings you lose yourself in, zooming in on one detail, following it to another strange creature, until you've been staring at it for an hour and your head is telling you to get some air and some Belgian chocolates before looking at any more art. Okay, so this time I was minus the originals and the Belgian chocolates, but the insane detail is still there. What I found myself most surprised by was that the same artist who paints miniature perversions, can also paint scenes of surprising beauty. Take the robe above right, it seems more in keeping with Van Eyck or even Dinotopia than Bosch. If anything, the book has only strengthened my resolve to see more work of the Northern Renaissance....and return to Belgium.