The Unknown Hieronymus Bosch

by Kurt Falk

The paintings of Hieronymus Bosch (1450–1516) have captivated and confounded observers for centuries, leading to wildly varying conclusions on the artist’s spirituality. Kurt Falk presents the first analysis of Bosch’s inner life in light of a hitherto unknown—and now lost—version of one of his seminal works, The Last Judgment, found by the author in Cairo in the mid-1930s.

With an introduction by spiritual psychologist Robert Sardello, The Unknown Hieronymus Bosch presents an entirely new way of looking at this art—not through the framework of art history or the notion of a school of painting, but through the spirit. Falk’s analysis reveals the ways in which Bosch addresses creation, including the exalted and fallen spiritual worlds so prevalent in his work. The author’s conclusions are startling but that Bosch had strong links to Rosicrucianism, that many of the paintings feature a curious onlooker figure we now understand as a spirit-witness, and that Bosch had in fact developed the capacity to clairvoyantly know the extraordinary worlds he portrays in such exacting detail. The book’s high-quality reproductions, carefully rendered in the paintings’ true colors, offer powerful visual support for the author’s theories.

116 pages, Paperback

First published September 16, 2008

Reviews

[Richard Martin · Rating 3 out of 5]

First, get a medium to high power magnifying glass for examining paintings. The book is divided into two parts. The first contains Bosch's paintings. The author points out various aspects of the work in question. For example, he surmises the activities and the identities of the characters. At times one will need the magnifying glass to locate these items within the painting. The second portion is primarily a biography and discussion of various aspects and techniques Bosch employs such as surrealism and leitmotif (especially of the treeman). The book concludes with an index of the works including medium, dimensions, and current locale as of 2008 .