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Delights: A Story of Hieronymus Bosch
In Guy Colwell’s first full graphic novel in over 30 years, we see one painter, Colwell himself, consider another, Hieronymus Bosch, and the story behind the latter’s most notable work told in sequential panels. The known details of Bosch’s life, and the commissioning of his enormous triptych, “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” are scant. Colwell takes the facts of Bosch’s time and setting and constructs a tale of a man and artist torn equally among piety, creativity, and commerce.In Colwell’s version of Jheronimus van Aken (Bosch’s real name), he is an artist paid well by local dukes to paint a vision of the world before the fall, but will the religious leaders of his village see it as celebrating God’s creation, or fatally corrupted by sensuality? And what of the increasing numbers of young models needed to depict pre-apple innocence?This imaginatively conceived graphic biography is Colwell’s crowning achievement in a cartooning career, begun in the underground comix movement of the 1970s, and marked by risk-taking and political engagement. His drawing, rendering, and storytelling has never been as self-assured as in Delights.
Kindle Edition
First published August 13, 2024
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About the author
Guy Colwell
28 books2 followersGuy Colwell is an American painter, illustrator, cartoonist and social activist.
Colwell was born and raised in California, where he studied fine arts. Painting is usually his main form of expression. His art often reflects his political views and activism, tackling themes of social inequality and oppression.
When not painting or travelling around the world for environmental research, Colwell has done occasional work in comics. As a cartoonist, he is best known for his 70's underground comix series Inner City Romance. Colwell also worked as colour artist for underground newspapers and publishers from the 70s into the 90s. His other books include Doll (1989), In Fox's Forest (2016) and Delights: A Story of Hieronymus Bosch (2024).
Colwell was born and raised in California, where he studied fine arts. Painting is usually his main form of expression. His art often reflects his political views and activism, tackling themes of social inequality and oppression.
When not painting or travelling around the world for environmental research, Colwell has done occasional work in comics. As a cartoonist, he is best known for his 70's underground comix series Inner City Romance. Colwell also worked as colour artist for underground newspapers and publishers from the 70s into the 90s. His other books include Doll (1989), In Fox's Forest (2016) and Delights: A Story of Hieronymus Bosch (2024).
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
August 26, 2024
Little is known about the creative process behind The Garden of Earthly Delights, a triptych oil painting by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. Little in general is known about Bosch himself, and so the interpretations of the intent behind this painting remains completely speculative. What can be inferred is that this painting is distinct from a lot of Bosch's other creations as it is visually more perverse and enigmatic in comparison. Some scholarly estimations propose that Bosch was reinterpreting the Book of Genesis to propose an altered view on how Paradise would look without the presence of sin, which explains the relatively high degree of lewdness that would have drawn the ire of the more religious time Bosch lived in. It's that hypothesis that also leads many to guess that the painting was a private commission by a more secular proprietor, with some evidence pointing towards Engelbert II and Hendrick III of Nassau as the commissioners as the painting may have hung in their court at some point. And thus Guy Colwell uses this as the basis for Delights: A Story of Hieronymus Bosch, a graphic novel that uses some of this historical speculation to craft a story behind Bosch's creative process behind The Gardens of Earthly Delights.
Guy Colwell made his name as a painter primarily, with most of his creations revolving around social justice issues with a strong undercurrent of surrealism. Colwell has been a recurring name in the underground comix movement as well, with his most prominent work coming in the form of Inner City Romance, a five-issue series that tackles a range of sociopolitical issues like the criminal justice system and the war on drugs. It's not surprising given the nature of Colwell's background that the first major work in decades then tackles the work of Hieronymus Bosch. No one can deny the absurdist elements found within the composition of The Gardens of Earthly Delight, nor can one decouple the social commentary that the painting itself initiates. The painting serves as a significant departure from the religious influenced artwork of its time, and that brings with it a lot of baggage with respect to Bosch's intent. Was there critique of the church involved, or was this Bosch wanting to push for something more transgressive? We'll probably never know, but that doesn't stop Colwell from making some speculation.
Delights: A Story of Hieronymus Bosch covers the story of Bosch (here referred to by his known birth name, Jheronimus "Jeroen" van Aken) as he begins to work on a commission for two wealthy patrons. Jeroen is initially befuddled by the request, struggling to find the creative foundation for his new commission. The initial sketch ups are challenged by the patrons who ask that he use women to serve as models for the painting. This ends up becoming a bit of a controversial request as it would be considered inappropriate for the time, but Jeroen acquiesces and soon has an ample group of models coming in every day to help out. As the painting nears completion, the church finds out and send out a group of Inquisitors to judge the painting on its religious merits. This serves as the greatest bit of tension in Delights, as Jeroen must carefully choose the language he uses to interpret the meaning the painting. It's through these conversations that Colwell's own interpretation of The Gardens becomes apparent, and it really takes on the sociological themes that often bleed into his other works. One could argue that the contemporary views on secularism and religious piety are a little out of place, but I found a lot of it to be an intriguing artistic choice for the graphic novel.
One might infer another aspect to Colwell's interpretation of the painting as consumerism driving artwork, a slightly more controversial take than any of the sociopolitical themes. By design, the narrative argues that the painting only exists because someone wealthy enough pays for it, which does feel a little at odds with the traditional take from artists. That the painting itself would be so sexually liberated and inclusive to minorities is also something that must therefore be accredited to the patrons and not to Bosch himself is another extension of the argument that is an interesting angle. Colwell's commentary lies entirely in the subtext though, and perhaps different readers will walk away with different interpretations.
Though posited as historical fiction, it should be made clear just how speculative the entire narrative is. Colwell is making guesses on some historical facts, and then using his own imagination to fill in the rest. This coupled with the "modern-ness" of the commentary might be off-putting to some readers though I have to say I was thoroughly engaged by this. The story does begin to meander in the second half, but overall I found Delights to be thought-provoking and creative. I recommend this to fans of art history and it doesn't help to really take in the original painting in its full glory before partaking in this book.
Guy Colwell made his name as a painter primarily, with most of his creations revolving around social justice issues with a strong undercurrent of surrealism. Colwell has been a recurring name in the underground comix movement as well, with his most prominent work coming in the form of Inner City Romance, a five-issue series that tackles a range of sociopolitical issues like the criminal justice system and the war on drugs. It's not surprising given the nature of Colwell's background that the first major work in decades then tackles the work of Hieronymus Bosch. No one can deny the absurdist elements found within the composition of The Gardens of Earthly Delight, nor can one decouple the social commentary that the painting itself initiates. The painting serves as a significant departure from the religious influenced artwork of its time, and that brings with it a lot of baggage with respect to Bosch's intent. Was there critique of the church involved, or was this Bosch wanting to push for something more transgressive? We'll probably never know, but that doesn't stop Colwell from making some speculation.
Delights: A Story of Hieronymus Bosch covers the story of Bosch (here referred to by his known birth name, Jheronimus "Jeroen" van Aken) as he begins to work on a commission for two wealthy patrons. Jeroen is initially befuddled by the request, struggling to find the creative foundation for his new commission. The initial sketch ups are challenged by the patrons who ask that he use women to serve as models for the painting. This ends up becoming a bit of a controversial request as it would be considered inappropriate for the time, but Jeroen acquiesces and soon has an ample group of models coming in every day to help out. As the painting nears completion, the church finds out and send out a group of Inquisitors to judge the painting on its religious merits. This serves as the greatest bit of tension in Delights, as Jeroen must carefully choose the language he uses to interpret the meaning the painting. It's through these conversations that Colwell's own interpretation of The Gardens becomes apparent, and it really takes on the sociological themes that often bleed into his other works. One could argue that the contemporary views on secularism and religious piety are a little out of place, but I found a lot of it to be an intriguing artistic choice for the graphic novel.
One might infer another aspect to Colwell's interpretation of the painting as consumerism driving artwork, a slightly more controversial take than any of the sociopolitical themes. By design, the narrative argues that the painting only exists because someone wealthy enough pays for it, which does feel a little at odds with the traditional take from artists. That the painting itself would be so sexually liberated and inclusive to minorities is also something that must therefore be accredited to the patrons and not to Bosch himself is another extension of the argument that is an interesting angle. Colwell's commentary lies entirely in the subtext though, and perhaps different readers will walk away with different interpretations.
Though posited as historical fiction, it should be made clear just how speculative the entire narrative is. Colwell is making guesses on some historical facts, and then using his own imagination to fill in the rest. This coupled with the "modern-ness" of the commentary might be off-putting to some readers though I have to say I was thoroughly engaged by this. The story does begin to meander in the second half, but overall I found Delights to be thought-provoking and creative. I recommend this to fans of art history and it doesn't help to really take in the original painting in its full glory before partaking in this book.
November 21, 2024
This graphic novel grew on me. At the book's beginning, I wondered if this was going to be page after page of medieval hand-wringing about sin and damnation. But DELIGHTS then begins to show itself as a work of humor, creativity, and questioning authority. The section in which the artist walks through a forest populated by his own surrealist creations is a standout gem.
November 2, 2024
Well researched historical fiction about the creation of “The Garden of Earthly Delights,” that manages to be pleasantly process driven and retain some degree of suspense. Reminds me, more than anything, of Crumb’s “Book of Genesis,” with an alt comics master turning his attention to religious topics in a rather straightforward way that’s enhanced by the underground look of the art.
August 31, 2024
The art style is beautiful and fitting, it reminds me of etchings with all those carefully drawn shading lines. The narrative covers the time from when Hieronymous Bosch first got the commission for the Garden of Earthly Delights, to the point when it was finished. It doesn't go into his earlier work, or his origins, or even what happened afterwards. Mind, there is very little known about Bosch as a person and an artist, so making this book more like a biography would have been quite a challenge and would have required a lot of imaginative additions.
The author mentions in the beginning that he is adding details from imagination and that some details are anachronistic in the book. Which is fine - though I would have appreciated a little afterword or appendix explaining the artist's process and which historical facts are available.
The author mentions in the beginning that he is adding details from imagination and that some details are anachronistic in the book. Which is fine - though I would have appreciated a little afterword or appendix explaining the artist's process and which historical facts are available.
March 9, 2025
Underbart tecknad och en välefterforskad graphic novel om Hieronymus Bosch liv. Eller Jheronimus Van Aken som han egentligen hette. Det finns inte mycket info om Bosch vilket såklart gör att detta är en roman, med inslag av känd fakta. Om religiösa bryderier är något som stör dig så är nog inte denna bok något intressant. Bosch var en väldigt religiös man son var med i ett religiöst sällskap så hans funderingar kring detta och hans konst tar stor plats i denna berättelse. Jag tyckte mycket om den och för oss som älskar hans underbara, galna och vackra tavlor så tycker jag gott man kan läsa denna!
August 22, 2024
Just received it in the mail and looking forward to reading it!
https://youtu.be/YXNbSl5wNAI
January 10, 2025
I did not know Guy Colwell's comics but in looking at his listed books I see I had at least heard of them. Apparently as a sixties alt-comix artist he saw himself as an advocate for civil rights, the sexual revolution and artistic freedom in (at least) his comics series, Inner City Romance. In this beautiful Fantagraphics production it names as Colwell's crowning achievement, these same commitments get celebrated in the life and work of Hieronymous Bosch especially through Bosch's mid-fifteenth-century masterpiece, The Garden of Earthly Delights.
Colwell, in a fine introduction, tells us what little we know about the Netherlandish artist and the production of his work, admitting that his or any other ideas about the making of that work have to be historical fiction, and he claims his own work is "mildly plausible." He focuses on Bosch's struggles, both inner--his faith, his visions, his fear of hellfire--and social--the Church was engaged in the Inquisition, a particularly brutal theocratic "censorship campaign," of course. As Colwell has it, two aristocrats encourage Bosch to celebrate the Garden of Eden and its delights in their monetary support of his work.
Specifically, Colwell focuses on how it is Bosch might have managed to have so many naked bodies in clearly sensual delight in a painting--a triptytch--that could easily have been condemned by the Church. As Colwell has it, the two aristocrats, wanting a more open, Italianate, body-affirming (and sexy) painting, helped supply both white and black (nude) models for Bosch. And somehow Bosch, having served the Church well previously in his work, escapes condemnation. Colwell does not focus on Bosch's third panel in the work, the Hellscape that depicts a world after The Fall of Eden and the entry of sin into the world. Torments, just as Colwell suspects Bosch was tormented in part by his work.
This project is impressive, and sort of interestingly focused almost exclusively on the nudity in the work during this dark time in history, lots of naked bodies overseen in the secrecy of the project by Bosch's wife, which makes sense in that this gets at the social struggle and Bosch's own struggle with "earthly delights" such as these.
The Garden of Earthly Delights:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gar...
Colwell, in a fine introduction, tells us what little we know about the Netherlandish artist and the production of his work, admitting that his or any other ideas about the making of that work have to be historical fiction, and he claims his own work is "mildly plausible." He focuses on Bosch's struggles, both inner--his faith, his visions, his fear of hellfire--and social--the Church was engaged in the Inquisition, a particularly brutal theocratic "censorship campaign," of course. As Colwell has it, two aristocrats encourage Bosch to celebrate the Garden of Eden and its delights in their monetary support of his work.
Specifically, Colwell focuses on how it is Bosch might have managed to have so many naked bodies in clearly sensual delight in a painting--a triptytch--that could easily have been condemned by the Church. As Colwell has it, the two aristocrats, wanting a more open, Italianate, body-affirming (and sexy) painting, helped supply both white and black (nude) models for Bosch. And somehow Bosch, having served the Church well previously in his work, escapes condemnation. Colwell does not focus on Bosch's third panel in the work, the Hellscape that depicts a world after The Fall of Eden and the entry of sin into the world. Torments, just as Colwell suspects Bosch was tormented in part by his work.
This project is impressive, and sort of interestingly focused almost exclusively on the nudity in the work during this dark time in history, lots of naked bodies overseen in the secrecy of the project by Bosch's wife, which makes sense in that this gets at the social struggle and Bosch's own struggle with "earthly delights" such as these.
The Garden of Earthly Delights:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Gar...
February 8, 2025
The Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch lived during the early Northern Renaissance and his work is a representation of the era where medieval religious subjects began to give way to secular ones. This mirrored a change in the culture at large as science started to mature as a way of understanding the world. The development of Bosch’s most famous work is chronicled in this vivid and finely drawn graphic novel. The Garden of Earthly Delights was created as an altarpiece but was commissioned not by the church but rather a wealthy nobleman who hung the work in his private residence. The novel imagines the conflict at several levels not least within Bosch himself who is titillated by his nude models and the portrayal of sin but also concerned about his reactions as well as those of the church and townsfolk.
April 26, 2025
This was an enjoyable book, and highly recommended to any art history buffs. I never expected to be interested in it, as I've never been a fan of classical art or the time period, but I'm glad I read it. Not only did I come away with a deeper appreciation for The Garden of Earthly Delights, but also there was contemporary resonance. The book is really about the artist, their responsibility to their patron, and the role of the audience (including moral authorities). It reminded me a lot of the video game Pentiment, about an artist in 1500's Germany creating art for the Church (while solving a murder). It's hard to get immersed in the time period and so I enjoy anything that helps me understand what daily life was like then.
November 19, 2024
3.5
If you are interested in the story behind the famous paintings, it would be nice to read this graphic novel. This one is about : The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch.
There is a somewhat historical truth behind the story as the novelist explains in the prologue, which is good. Some panels on the discussions about the famous painting were also good, though not sure how deep the discussions were overall.
I felt like the panels sometimes lacked detail and the dialogues were proceding slowly. The depictions of the " visions" of Bosch were interesting.
(I did not really understand how there was no explanation of the story of the exterior panels of the painting in the book.. )
If you are interested in the story behind the famous paintings, it would be nice to read this graphic novel. This one is about : The Garden of Earthly Delights by Bosch.
There is a somewhat historical truth behind the story as the novelist explains in the prologue, which is good. Some panels on the discussions about the famous painting were also good, though not sure how deep the discussions were overall.
I felt like the panels sometimes lacked detail and the dialogues were proceding slowly. The depictions of the " visions" of Bosch were interesting.
(I did not really understand how there was no explanation of the story of the exterior panels of the painting in the book.. )
February 4, 2025
“I HAVE EXPLORED THE DEEP YEARNINGS OF THE HUMAN HEART FOR THAT WHICH CANNOT BE HAD; THE INNOCENT VISION OF A SIMPLE LIFE OF LOVE AND JOY, OF ENDLESS HAPPINESS AND FREEDOM - WE CAN PICTURE IT IN OUR MINDS, BUT WE KNOW IT CANNOT BE. OUR SIN AND GREED HAVE LOST TO US EVERYTHING BUT GNAWING DESIRE THAT CAN NEVER BE FULFILLED. THE HUMAN PREDICAMENT OF WANTING COMPLETE PLEASURE AND SATISFACTION BUT NEVER HAVING IT IS ALWAYS WITH US.”
“…BEING POSTURED FOR ALL TO SEE.
AND WE WILL NEED SOME SILLINESS, BECAUSE A PARADISE OF DELIGHTS HAS ALSO TO BE A COMEDY.”
“…BEING POSTURED FOR ALL TO SEE.
AND WE WILL NEED SOME SILLINESS, BECAUSE A PARADISE OF DELIGHTS HAS ALSO TO BE A COMEDY.”
December 16, 2024
My ratings of books on Goodreads are solely a crude ranking of their utility to me, and not an evaluation of literary merit, entertainment value, social importance, humor, insightfulness, scientific accuracy, creative vigor, suspensefulness of plot, depth of characters, vitality of theme, excitement of climax, satisfaction of ending, or any other combination of dimensions of value which we are expected to boil down through some fabulous alchemy into a single digit.
October 9, 2025
I’ve loved reading graphic novels that center different artists, especially artists I’ve never heard of. This book was an excellent journey into how the painting “garden of earthly delights” was made. The book also brought up themes of spirituality and the difficult relationship between sensual art and religious art and where the line is drawn.
November 4, 2024
A lovely graphic novel, speculating on how Hieronymus Bosch may have come to paint his "Garden of Earthly Delights." The graphic novel is B&w but includes a small but complete & full-color rendition of the painting at the back of the book.
December 21, 2024
I hadn't really considered how much of this would be Bosch posing naked models but I mean, yeah, look at the painting. Musings on religion and secular art and a pleasant way to immerse yourself in the creation of a 500yo painting. I find it remarkable that any art at all has survived for that long.
July 8, 2025
Super fun and well done. Probably could've cut a few pages near the end that got repetitive... but then again, an inquisition isn't supposed to be fun, now is it?
Recommended review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Recommended review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
August 15, 2024
Colwell has created a beautiful graphic work around a somewhat historical origin story for the painting “The Garden of Earthly Delights.” The drawings are mind boggling!
October 16, 2024
Such a delightfully creative telling of what may have been the story behind the Garden of Earthly Delights by Hireonymous Bosch.
February 9, 2025
An amazing way to look back at the stories surrounding Hieronymous Bosch's painting of The Garden of Earthly Delights!
December 16, 2025
Seeing an artist rendering of what "Bosch" might have been like,
was revelatory
and I believe this amazing interpretation feels right.
Absolutely loved this book!
was revelatory
and I believe this amazing interpretation feels right.
Absolutely loved this book!
January 10, 2025
3.5
Needed even more weird little guys!
Needed even more weird little guys!
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews