The celebration of Christmas gets ever earlier, and obscures the traditional meaning of Advent as a time of penitence and meditation on the Four Last Things – Death, Judgement, Heaven and Hell. To redress the balance, our Vice-President Sophie Oosterwijk is lecturing on Wednesday 10 December on Life, Death and Judgement in the art of Hieronymus Bosch. This lecture looks at the ‘surreal’ art of the Early Netherlandish painter Jheronimus Bosch within its historical and cultural context. Although Bosch’s terrifying visions of sin, death, and the hereafter may appear surreal today, especially his highly imaginative depictions of devils, they were tied to the religious attitudes and moralising texts of the period, such as the Ars moriendi, the Dance of Death, and Everyman. It is in this context that one should examine Bosch’s Haywain Triptych, Garden of Earthly Delights, and other works.

Organised by Gresham College, the lecture is at Barnards Inn  Hall, Holborn and online. More details at Life, Death and Judgement in the Art and Times of Hieronymus Bosch (d. 1516) | Gresham College