Garden of Mirthly Delights

 

These are details from a larger painting inspired by Hieronymus Bosch’s “Garden of Earthly Delights” in the Prado Museum in Madrid.

In my art I am often  interested in depicting what goes on inside someone’s head. Here the large figure in a yellow jumper holds up a crystal ball rather like the palantir of Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Through it he sees the danger in store for those, like the girl in the rowing boat, who think they are in a peaceful and tranquil setting.

However, he himself is not immune from our observation and we can see him holding a conversation with a violinist. In the top left corner the city has been attacked by giant snails who have set all the buildings alight. The inhabitants escape with no clothes and no possessions to the beach of a strange inland sea.