GETTING LOST IN HIERONYMUS BOSCH

The Temptation of St. Anthony, by Hieronymus Bosch, via Wikimedia Commons

Screenshot from Cave! Cave! Deus Videt

In 2015 I was involved in the planning of an interdisciplinary arts festival, inspired, and in honour, of 15^th century Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch. The festival took place in Bosch’s hometown ‘s-Hertogenbosch and was an early part of many exhibitions and special events that took place in 2016 for the 500^th anniversary of Bosch’s death. I had always liked Bosch’s work but this festival must have been the point in time when this may have slipped into a slight obsession.

After watching the documentary Hieronymus Bosch, Touched by the devil I knew that at least I was not alone in my obsession. In the documentary, a team of researchers from ‘s-Hertogenbosch travels around the world, hopeful, that they can convince several museums to lend them at least several of Bosch’s paintings for an exhibition in 2016.

Yet, we quickly learn that Bosch is a star in the Olympus of painters. Anyone wishing to see his works will have to travel the globe twice over to see them, as they are scattered over a number of different museums. Or do they? One work that was on show at the festival has the ability to bring Bosch’s world alive in your living room. Or rather, it is an invitation, a quest, to playfully explore the worlds that he has created. Not having to travel all around the world is one important aspect, that makes this project especially accessible in my view.

The visual novel “Cave! Cave! Deus Videt” by the Italian game design Duo We are Muesli cleverly combines beautiful graphic design, a surreal storyline and a stroll through Bosch’s world in one. The premise of what I would describe as an interactive storytelling game is the solving of a mystery. You as a player are investigating the disappearance of a teenager in the Lisbon National Museum. The narrative is packed with fun pop culture references that transport themes from Bosch’s work into the 21^st century. Moreover, you will finally have the chance to interact with the strange creatures that populate Bosch’s paintings. Woven into the story and the overall set up of the game are information on Bosch and his art. A short bibliography which is tugged away in the credits, gives testimony to the fair share of time that the designers have spend researching the painter.

So far two episodes have been released, each, focusing on one triptych: The Temptation of Saint Anthony and The Garden of Earthly Delights. You can download the first episode for free on their website. In my opinion the game offers a fun and low threshold way to interact with the paintings. It’s playing mode is intuitive and the narrative is what keeps players motivated and intrigued to keep on exploring. Throughout the game play, the player’s focus is directed to a number of details in the triptych. This to me presents a good method to look at Bosch’s paintings in a way that does not overwhelm the viewer. Both The Temptation of Saint Anthony and The Garden of Earthly Delights are packed with many painfully small details. In the game, viewers can take their time to focus their attention on individual details with some information on the section provided by the story.

The combination of capturing storytelling, great visuals, easy usability and free availability online is what makes this project so accessible in my opinion. Through the means of playful interaction the game could have the power to bring people in touch with Bosch’s work who otherwise would not have. 

Screenshot from Cave! Cave! Deus Videt