Week 12: Sasha Young: The Garden of Earthly Delights

There are many interesting themes present in Bosch's The Garden of Earthly Delights. One theme that stood out to me was the harmony, or arguably lack thereof, between humans and animals. Nearly every figure in the piece is interacting with an animal in some way, whether it be riding one, like the wild boars and horses, holding one, like the man holding a fish in the lower right, or even petting one, like the man that is seemingly petting a fish in the lower center.
Another thing about the relationship between humans and animals is that in some instances the animals are depicted as being giant, like the mallard duck and birds in the middle left. I think this greatness in size might represent the power struggle between humans and animals. Although we as humans are usually the more powerful force, we as humans are also somewhat dependant on animals for food and materials, which gives them a certain power over us.