this puritanical morality that seems to be central to his work was something that i did not pay too much attention to when i was merely glancing at some images on the net. yesterday as i was browsing through a book in the library and i realised just how vociferously 'christian' his work was in the way it disparages sensual pleasure condemning those who enjoy it to eternal damnation. don't know why this should surprise me- after all he was working in late medieval times. its just that this 'conservatism' at least from our current point of view reminds me of the madnesses of the ultra right moral police- not just in india- but also in what is called the 'bible belt' in america.. strange ways in which pleasure is described as monstrous .. with gleeful and guilty joy.. where with great passion and love 'pleasure' is vilified as an instrument of the devil.. and in the case of bosch- what detail! it gives me chills.. i wonder how a good christian is to see his own body? imagine living in perpetual guilt.
No comments:
Post a Comment