James Baquet

    In addition to the greatest books of the 20th century, we’ll also be looking at some of the greatest paintings of all time, gathered from various lists.

    One list I consulted is topped by “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” the most famous work by the “Early Netherlandish [Dutch]” painter Hieronymus Bosch (about 1450-1516). While little is known of his life, his style is unmistakable. Once in a blue moon an artist comes along whose work is unlike that of any other painter of his time and place; Bosch is one of those artists.

    “The Garden of Earthly Delights” is a triptych of oil on oak, the central panel being a 220-centimeter square, with two side panels of the same height and approximately 85 centimeters wide.

    The left panel shows, among other things, God presenting the newly made Eve to Adam. Before and behind that scene is a fantastic garden (The Garden of Eden) containing exotic creatures, from a seal and various birds in the foreground to a giraffe and an elephant in the background, along with an oddly shaped fountain in a lake.

    The central panel covers a larger area, with a large number of nude figures of all races engaged in various social activities, from strolling and conversation, to games, to feeding each other fruit. Some of the figures are melded into flowers, fruits, shrimp, and other creatures, suggesting either a creation still in progress, or a mutation of human beings. There are also plenty of animals — some of the people are seen riding horses, oxen, camels, and bears — as well as fruits and flowers, and extraordinary stone formations.

    The right panel moves on to a less cheery prospect, its background a dark landscape with burned out buildings and erupting volcanoes. The foreground is dominated by people suffering, including one being eaten by a frog-like creature with the head of a bird.

    The entire triptych is taken to be a temporal progression, from the early days of creation through the wanton behavior of human kind to their ultimate damnation.

    By the way, another Bosch triptych, “The Last Judgment,” was No. 7 on the same list.

    Vocabulary:

    Which word above means:

    1. work of art in three panels

    2. merged, blended

    3. unusual, strange, foreign

    4. blowing up, exploding

    5. obvious, clear

    6. related to time

    7. without clothes

    8. very rarely

    9. change in the usual characteristics of a living thing

    10. done with no concern for what is right