Ascent of the Blessed 1504

Curator: Wow, what a sight! "Ascent of the Blessed," painted around 1504 by Hieronymus Bosch. Oil on panel, a relatively small work with so much happening inside it. What's your first impression? Editor: Well, my initial reaction is…vertigo! It’s as though I'm falling upwards, swept into this vortex of light and shadow. And is it me, or does that swirling tunnel resemble, perhaps unintentionally, an eye? Curator: An eye...Interesting. Bosch was indeed keen on embedding symbols within his compositions. Notice the clear dichotomy: The black background from which the naked souls are lifted and then, this swirling blue vortex leading to an almost blinding point of golden light. Editor: It feels like more than just light, more like…illumination, literally and figuratively. And the angels, those are some serious escort service. Winged figures of all sorts shepherding souls, though the ones further down are not exactly winning any beauty contests. What is Bosch telling us with such varied images? Curator: That's classic Bosch. Nothing is ever simple or straightforward. We've got this procession of souls, escorted by angels of varying appearances toward this…intense source. The light is often interpreted as divine presence, and this journey… the ascent to heaven. However, the contrast between the grotesque, almost demonic, angels pulling some up and the beatific ones higher up suggests different stages or levels of spiritual purification. Editor: Right. It feels as though it’s about worthiness. See those red-winged… figures fighting for souls? What symbol do the wings have in Christian iconography and broader cultural myths? The fight for souls by darker spirits or angels can represent our personal demons and moral temptations, and how we strive toward a higher existence, purified of earthy desires. It becomes more intimate rather than a far-removed religious trope. Curator: Precisely! The whole thing boils down to choice. The act of willingly detaching oneself from worldly tethers. Editor: Beautiful and utterly unnerving. A good reminder that enlightenment isn't just sunshine and rainbows. The image, though dark, becomes about something bright. The battle is internal but the ascent seems eternal.