Some medieval paintings are like webpages, with writing and images, rich in stories and symbols. The painting has to be ‘read’ and one has be familiar with  its symbolism in order to understand the meaning. Many interpretations have been given, and for Bosch’s contemporaries it must have been one of the rare opportunities to see a visual representation of morals and beliefs.

Scholarly viewing of the painting would determine a  certain order to ‘enter’ the artefact. Viewing for pleasure allows the eye to ‘visit’  its distinct parts, similarly to visiting webpages.

This image above is by Hieronymous Bosch who was born circa 1450

Following Amy’s post ‘What is real‘, I thought I would like to ask a number of related questions. Some of these have been on my mind since the first IDEL module and are also part of my dissertation considerations.

1. Can we have an aesthetic experience from this image?
2. How does the experience differ from seeing the painting in a gallery, or indeed on other digital devices (phone, PC, tablet…)

The Tate website explains:

‘The letters IKB stand for International Klein Blue, a distinctive ultramarine which Klein registered as a trademark colour in 1957. He considered that this colour had a quality close to pure space and he associated it with immaterial values beyond what can be seen or touched.’

This digital image also represents the immaterial. But a different kind of immaterial. Can the immaterial of the internet help us understand different interpretations of ‘immaterial’?

I am currently reading around the topic of Deleuze’s ‘Rhizome‘ and hope to find more theoretical support.