Hieronymus Bosch

Hieronymus Bosch, born Jheronimus van Aken, was a Dutch painter from the 15th and 16th centuries who specialized in fantastically weird and wonderful hellscapes. A devout Christian and respected member of his community, his paintings are complex, moralizing tales, often depicting the temptations and follies of humankind with a host of bizarre creatures and surreal landscapes. While Bosch came from a long line of painters, his own style was utterly unique, leading to some wild speculation over the centuries. Rumor has it that his incredibly vivid and often nightmarish creations were the result of him being a member of a secret, heretical sect. An even spicier, though entirely unproven, tale suggests his hallucinatory visions might have been fueled by bread contaminated with ergot, a fungus known to cause psychedelic effects. So, was he a divinely inspired moralist or just a guy who really, *really* needed to check his rye bread? The mystery remains.