He is one of the most notable representatives of the Early Netherlandish painting school. His work, generally oil on oak wood, mainly contains fantastic illustrations of religious concepts and narratives. Little is known of Bosch's life, though there are some records. He spent most of it in the town of 's-Hertogenbosch , where he was born in his grandfather's house.
The roots of his forefathers are in Nijmegen and Aachen which is visible in his surname: Van Aken. His pessimistic fantastical style cast a wide influence on northern art of the 16th century, with Pieter Bruegel the Elder being his best-known follower.
Today, Bosch is seen as a highly individualistic painter with deep insight into humanity's desires and deepest fears. Attribution has been especially difficult; today only about 25 paintings are confidently given to his hand [ 7 ] along with eight drawings. About another half-dozen paintings are confidently attributed to his workshop.
His most acclaimed works consist of three triptych altarpieces, including The Garden of Earthly Delights. Hieronymus Bosch's first name was originally Jheronimus or Joen, [ 8 ] respectively the Latin and Middle Dutch form of the name "Jerome" , and he signed a number of his paintings as Jheronimus Bosch. His surname Bosch derives from his birthplace, 's-Hertogenbosch 'Duke's forest' , which is commonly called "Den Bosch" 'the forest'.
Little is known of Bosch's life or training. He left behind no letters or diaries, and what has been identified has been taken from brief references to him in the municipal records of 's-Hertogenbosch , and in the account books of the local order of the Illustrious Brotherhood of Our Blessed Lady.
