Hieronymus Bosch: The World as Hell / Hell as the World

When we say “Bosch,” we think of “demons,” “temptations” and “infernal torments.” The master from the Dutch city of ’s-Hertogenbosch was, of course, not the first medieval artist to depict punishments after death and the fiery landscapes of the afterlife. But the hell he imagined was very unlike the “standard” version. Cities in flames; harps, knives, skates and other objects that have grown dramatically in size and become instruments of posthumous torture; demons joining forces and going to war against sinners. It seems that Bosch depicts not hell, but a world that has become hell. How are his infernal spaces structured? Why did even musical instruments become instruments of torture? What do depictions of the underworld tell us about everyday life in the 15th century? And how are the wars regularly fought by Dutch cities and their lords reflected in them? Even the most inventive imagination (and Bosch had no equal in this!) builds imaginary worlds from elements of reality. Even the most terrifying nightmare (Freud can attest to that!) follows certain rules. Let’s try to find out what they are.

Speaker: Mikhail Maizuls, medieval historian and Candidate of Historical Sciences. His research interests include the religious and cultural history of the Western European Middle Ages, medieval iconography, the history of religious and political iconoclasm, and visual anthropology. He is a two-time recipient of the Enlightener Prize.

There will be a question-and-answer session after the lecture.

When: 2 December at 19:00
Where: Park Inn by Radisson Valdemara

The lecture will be held in Russian. Doors to the hall open at 18:30. Please note that tickets are non-refundable. You can always give them to friends!