A big PS

Published March 19, 2020 · Updated July 6, 2022

Hello, again,

As it turns out, I actually sent you guys a message 2 years ago (one of my 1st) analyzing Hieronymus Bosch’s works and how they correspond to Westworld seasons 1 and 2. Here’s a copy of that email, and I believe there may be some links mixed in with it.

On Sun, Jun 24, 2018, 2:44 PM Derek English wrote:

Thanks for the hard work this season. I think your show adds so much to the whole experience.

Re-watching some clips from season 1, I noticed a name Lee Sizemore mentions-Hieronymus Bosch. I knew he was an artist but wasn’t familiar with his works in detail. So, out of boredom, I did some research…

It turns out, the narratives in Westworld are almost an EXACT re-telling of his works. It is SCARY accurate. The instances are so numerous that I could write a thesis on it, but I will touch on a few key works that are in-your-face parallels (all are copy/paste from Wikipedia…thanks, all knowing internet people)

The Wayfarer: The character has been interpreted as choosing between the path of virtue at the gate on the right or debauchery in the house on the left, or as the prodigal son returning home from the world.

The Conjurer (aka the MAGICIAN): Bosch depicts how people are fooled by lack of alertness and insight, creating a “spellbinding tension” that reappears in his later paintings.[1] The conjurer on the right of the image captures his apt and diverse audience with a game of cups and balls. The central character and true focus of the image is the man of rank in the forefront who leans in and is fixed on the pearl in the conjurer’s hand while unaware of being relieved of his money purse. Bosch associates the conjurer as a common criminal, luring in the prey. (There is literally a game of cups/balls displayed)

Cutting the Stone: The painting depicts the extraction, by a man wearing a funnel hat, of the stone of madness, a “keye” (modern Dutch: kei) (in English a “stone” or “bulb”) from a patient’s head, using trepanation.

Garden of Earthly Delights: Scholars have proposed that Bosch used the outer panels to establish a Biblical setting for the inner elements of the work,[6] and the exterior image is generally interpreted as set in an earlier time than those in the interior. As with Bosch’s Haywain triptych, the inner centerpiece is flanked by heavenly and hellish imagery. The scenes depicted in the triptych are thought to follow a chronological order: flowing from left-to-right they represent Eden, the garden of earthly delights, and Hell.[14]God appears as the creator of humanity in the left hand wing, while the consequences of humanity’s failure to follow his will are shown in the right. God is absent from the central panel. Instead, this panel shows humanity acting with apparent free will as naked men and women engage in various pleasure-seeking activities.

The Haywain Triptych: The exterior of the shutters, like most contemporary Netherlandish triptychs, were also painted, although in this case Bosch used full colors instead of the usual grisaille. When closed, they form a single scene depicting a wayfarer. Around him is a series of miniatures including the robbery of another wayfarer and a hanged man. The man uses a stick to repel a dog.

According to the most recent interpretations, this figure may represent the man who follows his road in spite of the temptation of sins (such as lust, perhaps symbolized by the two dancing shepherds) and the evil acts occurring around him.

The list goes on and on….check out some of his paintings (most come in 3 parts, and tell a story) and let me know what you think. The references to the MAGICIAN and the WAYFARER come up in several (Ford and William). Lawrence would be the hanged man. Dolores would be Eve. The boy with the stick would be Young Ford (robot).

Derek English

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