2009.4.1.9
(20.32 cm HIGH x 27.94 cm WIDE)
This is a hard ground etching over letterpress after the central panel of Hieronymus Bosch's painting, "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (1500-1505). The print includes a composition of figures and animals in black ink over gray letterpress text on sexuality and morality.
"Visually, my own work has a lot in common with Bosch's 'False Paradise.' I aim to investigate intimate situations between people, and to communicate a beauty inspired by moral and physical ugliness. Initially, I presumed that Bosch was utilizing the language of the grotesque for a similar purpose. However, research revealed that Bosch intended his pieces as moralistic messages. The artist meant to promote the institution of marriage, and to state that passions natural to humanity would result in divine punishment if left unchecked. I am translating this in a somewhat more holistic manner consistent with my own world view." / Xenia Fedorchenko
