Week 12: Mackenzie: The Garden of Earthly Delights

Viewing The Garden of Earthly Delights is both an overwhelming and exciting experience. There is so much to look at that each individual viewer focuses on not only different panels of the triptych but different scenes/objects within each panel--possibly explaining why there are so many different interpretations of what exactly each panel signifies. The significance of the left panel seems pretty obvious and seems to start off the left-to-right chronological "reading" of the triptych. The left panel simply depicts God presenting Eve to Adam, starting off a series of events. The central panel displays a chaotic array of nudes engaging in various acts and seems to have a lot of energy and sexual charge. The right panel is a representation of hell and perhaps the consequences of whatever occurred in the time between when Eve was presented to Adam and the actual depiction of hell. This is what sparks the most controversy between various critics of this piece. Some argue that the middle panel represents sin because it is what leads from the presentation of Eve to Adam directly of hell--therefore it must signify a sort of warning against committing sins. Anyone who knows the biblical story of the Garden of Eden would say that the central panel represents the forbidden fruit and when Eve tasted the forbidden fruit, leading to original sin. The central panel is the focus of the triptych, as it gives it it's name--The Garden of Earthly Delights. The chaos of the central panel is appealing to me. The various figures seem to be engaging in whatever activities they want--there are no rules. I think this seems dangerous and fun and exciting. It is as if all of the figures are not afraid of whatever consequences must come their way. They seem to be unaware that their interactions could possibly be sinful and inappropriate, leading to the right column of hell. There is a sort of naivety and innocence in all of the figures--whether human or animal--that seems joyous and free-spirited. Whether the figures are more sexual or just carefree and playing in the water, they all seem to be enjoying themselves. Some interpret this central column as a celebration of a life lived without the realization that consequences exist, and others seem to think it represents the tasting of the forbidden fruit. I think that the final, conclusive message is that whether you taste the "forbidden fruit" (whatever that might be) or whether you live your life without a sense of right/wrong, there are consequences and a price to pay (as depicted in the right column). However, if this is the case and the message of the central column is true, I prefer the interpretation that those figures in the central column are living a carefree, joyous and somewhat dangerous lifestyle (since they are not concerned with rules or consequences). I think this interpretation of the central column seems more fun and less ominous, although the final message is the same.