Getting to the Bottom of Bosch's Fundamentals
A little animation helps bring to life some of the action in Bosch's underworld
It’s a six-minute introduction to a subject dealt with more fully in episode 11 of the written substacks (The Four Levels of Bosch’s Buttock Fixation).
With all the scholarly emphasis on symbols and iconography and hermetic meanings and associations – many interesting, amusing and indeed significant elements have been overlooked – even though they sit there in plain sight, in front of our eyes.
There’s a lot to say about Bosch’s rears.
Here three additions:
* In general I see it in part as self-censure. The bottom wasn’t very indecent, it was all in the humor of the times, and had some “regular” visibility. In fact, it is still used to make fun of in Carnaval times…
* The flowers in the posterior are a linguistic joke, an ancient saying was “fleuren uytlaten”, letting out flowers, i.e. passing wind. (See also the next point)
* That being said, there is also a hint at homosexuality.
Even the colors of the flowers in the example above may be relevant for this.
On the other hand, Bosch is a master at ambiguity: the shown plant “Guichelheil” Anagalis [Google translate Witches luck?!) links to curing folly- which would be quite appropriate for Love Garden….