Flemish Renaissance art is exemplified by a specific style, iconography, and reception exclusive to the form of contemporary Renaissance art purported at that time, namely works of Biblical interest. Two examples of this type of artwork would be Hieronymus Bosch’s ‘Last Judgment’ and the Isenheim Altarpiece. Although the two works cover different Biblical stories and subjects, both contain similar viewpoints of the period at that time. Both Netherlandish pieces are reflective of and draw inspiration from the classical age and the impact of that time period on art. This is not unusual for the Renaissance, for the artists were continually looking back on and drawing inspiration from those that had came before. However, it is easy to see the Flemish techniques that have been applied to the works, therefore making the pieces distinctive of their place in history, specifically when placed in the context of Northern European artists.
The Last Judgment was created by Bosch around 1482. However, the piece isn’t signed by Bosch himself, so many scholars believe that this piece can be attributed to an apprentice from his workshop. Another debate amongst modern students of Bosch argue about the patron of this particular piece. Some scholars believe that whoever the patron was, he died before the work was completed, which would explain the blank coat of arms on the bottom of the shutters. However, others believe that the triptych was commissioned by Philip the Fair due to Bosch’s choice of Spanish and Flemish saints, as Philip’s mother was heir to Castile and Philip himself ruled from the Netherlands. Critics of this school of thought argue that Philip may have commissioned a piece by Bosch, but not this one due to the fact that a paper from the time period states that the triptych should measure 249 by 304 centimeters, though The Last Judgment only measures 163 by 247 centimeters.
Stylistically, the ‘Last Judgment’ triptych is similar to other Flemish triptychs, like Jan Van Eyck’s Dresden Triptcyh, in many ways. For example, the outside shutters of the piece are painted in grisaille, which is a method of painting in grey monochrome that is designed to make paint look similar to sculptures. Grisaille allows artists to make their works look more classical without having to spend as much money as actual stone would require. However, the inside shutters and the center of the piece are painted in oil on wood, which is typical of the time period. More specific to this piece, the exterior shutters depict two very different saints, St. James and St. Bavo. The saint on the left-hand side, James the Great, is situated in an “evil”, dry land. On close inspection, there are various negative scenes behind him, like a man hanging from a tree or the two men fighting each other. Even the animals that feature in the work, like the vulture, snake, and lizard, are vile creatures that underscore the ungodliness of the land St. James is passing through. However, since he is a holy and pious man, he has passed through this land unscathed. St. James is easily identifiable in the depiction due to the fact he has a walking stick and a gourd for water, but more specifically because he has a wide-brimmed hat with a scallop on the front, a common symbol for him. On the other side of the shutter, St. Bavo is seen to be giving alms to the poor as he is the patron saint of Flanders. St. Bavo is dressed in fine clothes to represent the fact that though he was born wealthy, he chose to give up his wealth in order to dedicate his life to serving others.
Once opened, the left panel of the triptych depicts the Garden of Eden as a lush, green landscape, but with a cloudy sky around God. The central, middle panel shows the scene of the Last Judgment from the Book of Revelations. The celestial zone is painted a brilliant blue in order to contrast with the dark, scary scene below. This gives the viewer the impression that the middle piece is more negative than positive, therefore more damned than blessed. Finally, the rightmost panel continues the theme of dark colors and negative emotions due to the use of flames and demonic figures.
The Last Judgment is rich with iconography that gives the impression of the totality religion was during this time period. For example, the left panel draws the eye upwards, as if towards heaven, as it tells the story of creation and the subsequent temptation that follows. The first scene is of God creating Eve from the rib of a sleeping Adam. Since Eve is at the center foreground of the piece, she is what the eye is first drawn to. This is designed for the viewer to consciously place the blame and guilt for the following scenes on her shoulders alone. To the left of this creation, an animal is contentedly sleeping. The next scene the skywards eye views is that of the Temptation, where the Serpent tempts Eve into original sin, which begins the original straying from God. Because of this, the third scene shown is that of the Angel driving Adam and Eve out of the garden. In this part, you can also see the once sleeping animal is now eating another creature, a marked difference from the first scene. Finally, at the top of the picture, God surveys the world below as the angels are fighting each other in the blue sky beneath him. Those led by Lucifer are falling to the ground as demons, another example of the consequences of straying from the Lord. Next, the middle panel depicts Christ at the top with the Virgin Mary and the apostles looking down on The Last Judgment. The scene below shows what Limbo or Purgatory is like, crowded with various demons and monsters that are spearing, hanging, and burning people. Bosch has even painted the sinners as parts of different, menacing looking machines. Finally, the right panel is a continuation of the middle one, as it shows Satan receiving the many souls damned in The Last Judgment.
The Isenheim Altarpiece, sculpted by Nicalus of Haguenau and painted by Matthias Grunewald from 1512 to 1516, is another religious work created in the Flemish Renaissance style, similar to The Last Judgment. The altarpiece is also a combination of oil on wood, though tempera is used as well. This altarpiece contains two different sets of wings, which means that there are a total of three different scenes that can be viewed. Like the triptych by Bosch, the altarpiece features two saints, St. Anthony and St. Sebastian. The piece was painted for the monastery of St. Anthony near Colmar, which specialized in hospital work, most specifically the plague and skin diseases. Therefore, the saints that dominate the work, Anthony and Sebastian, are a nod to the hospital. Guy Guyers commissioned the piece, and the artists pay homage to him by placing him in a kneeling position at the feet of St. Augustine in the third view.
When the altarpiece is positioned in the first view, the viewer can see St. Sebastian on the left being martyred with arrows. On the right, St. Anthony the Great is calm while faced with a monster. However, Jesus in the middle draws the viewer’s eye the most as he is painted with plague like sores, similar to what the hospital’s patients looked like, and is shown with nails in his hands and feet, the pain twisting his extremities into grotesque positions. To Jesus’s right, Mary is fainting into John’s arms. Interestingly enough, in the real scene of Jesus’s crucifixion, John would not have been present since he died before Jesus’s death. His appearance in the piece represents the beginning of the New Testament, while the lamb near John represents Jesus’s ultimate sacrifice.
When the altarpiece is positioned in the second view, the left panel shows the Annunciation, where the Angel tells Mary she will give birth to the son of God. The center panel is a combined depiction of the Concert of Angels, which is Christ coming to Earth, and the Nativity. The right panel shows Christ’s Resurrection and his ascendancy into heaven. In this second view, there are many symbols that the artists used in order to expound upon the religious theme of the work. The enclosed garden behind Mary is symbolic of her everlasting virginity and her womb. The rosebush without thorns behind her represents that Mary is also free from original sin, and the fig tree is representative of mother’s milk. Meanwhile, at her feet, the bed, bucket, and chamber pot represent Christ’s humanity.
The final and third view of the altarpiece focuses on St. Anthony and St. Sebastian. When the inner wings are opened, St. Anthony, the patron saint of fire, occupies the place of honor in the center of the work. The pig at his feet is a symbol for the Antonite order, an order of the monks of the hospital of St. Anthony. To his bottom right and left are people bearing offerings, the major way in which the hospital was funded. The men in gold next to him are St. Augustine and St. Jerome, two of the four great fathers of the Latin Church. The left panel depicts St. Anthony visiting the hermit, St. Paul, in the Theban Desert. The crow can be seen bringing two bits of food to the two hermits, and medicinal plants grow at the feet of the two men, a nod to the hospital in which the altarpiece was originally placed. On the right panel, St. Anthony is shown to be tormented by demons sent from the Devil, but Anthony is calling out to God to deliver him. The being in the lower left with the bloated stomach and webbed feet is meant to look similar to a person with ergot poisoning, also known as St. Anthony’s fire.
Though both of the pieces have several differences, they are very similar in many ways. Not only are they very indicative of Northern style in the late 1400s to early 1500s, they also depict a very clear beginning, middle, and end. Both of the works were designed for public consumption, even though only the shutters would have been visible except on holy days, or days where there was a large feast. However, one major difference between the two works of art is that in the triptych by Bosch, God is the main divine figure, whereas in the Isenheim Altarpiece, Jesus is the star. Though this difference sets the works apart, the Netherlandish style of both works is easily apparent, as is the common denominator that is religion, but more specifically Christianity.
Ultimately, both works reflect the intense focus on the art forms of the late antique period. However, the obvious religious overtones and the obvert Flemish style creates a specific class unique to the Netherlandish painters of the Northern Renaissance during this period of time.