The Temptation of St. Anthony
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- This article is about the painting. For information about the book, see The Temptation of Saint Anthony.
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The Temptation (or Temptations) of St. Anthony is an often repeated subject in history of art. The theme was first presented in the 10th century at Italian fresco paintings. In the European Middle Ages one can watch an accumulation of the theme in book illumination and later in German woodcuts. About 1500 originated the famous paintings of Martin Schöngauer (ca. 1490), Hieronymus Bosch (ca. 1505) and Mathias Grünewald (ca. 1510). Up to now the Temptations of Saint Anthony are staple elements in European art.
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[edit] Bosch
The famous triptych painting by Hieronymus Bosch:
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The Temptation of St. Anthony is an oil painting on wood panels. The centre panel measures 131.5 by 119 cm, and the wings measure 131.5 by 53 cm.
The painting currently hangs in the Museu Nacional de Arte Antiga, in Lisbon. A copy by a follower of Bosch can be found in the National Gallery of Canada in Ottawa, and another version in the Prado Museum in Madrid. A third copy of what once was believed to be the original, now labeled by University of Pennsylvania art historian, Larry Silver, as a 16th century copy, is owned by the Barnes Foundation, near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania[1]
[edit] Subject
Symbolism tells the story of Anthony's mental and spiritual torments throughout. On the right panel, Anthony attempts to look at the viewer, but his gaze becomes fixed on a table surrounded with curious creatures partaking in sin. The center panel, though, exemplifies Bosch's attraction to the saintly ability of refusing temptation. Anthony kneels at an altar with his hand in the gesture of blessing, yet pointing at a miniature Christ, and views back to the viewer. The Devil-Queen, other various temptations, and physical abuse are no match for his devotion, Bosch's most optimistic subject.[2]
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[edit] Dalí
Modern Spanish painter Salvador Dalí, who drew a great deal of inspiration from Bosch's work, which had many of the features that acted as precursors to Dalí's own surrealism. Dalí's version depicts St. Anthony resisting temptations associated with a spider-legged horse and elephants. The "space elephants," distorted offspring of Gian Lorenzo Bernini's elephant and obelisk, are a motif in Dalí's work.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Jason Edward Kaufman. "Over-20 Old Masters Downgraded in Scholarly Investigation". Arts Newspaper. 14 October 2005.
- ^ Minnick, Nathaniel. Hieronymus Bosch's Triptychs in the Netherlandish Tradition, (University of Michigan, 2005)
[edit] External links
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