Demons at the Door

Hieronymus Bosch’s The Temptation of St. Anthony sets one still figure against a world that will not stay still. This slow art meditation lingers on a wide landscape where hybrid creatures, part animal, part plant, part household object, go about their strange errands. At the centre the hermit stays absorbed, untouched by the swarm around him. Bosch’s invention rewards patience, and every corner of the panel holds something a quick glance would miss. This work can be seen at The Museo Nacional del Prado.