Most people just call it Heaven but actually the name of the painting is The Garden of Earthly Delights. In these three panels Bosch depicted the earth, as we know it. The first panel has a wise figure (possibly religious) introducing Earth to a calm, reasonable couple (Adam and Eve) as if he was trying to sell them a house. This home is beautiful and it is filled with friendly animals and birds. Everything is spacious and peaceful. Everyone gets along. There is no tension or overcrowding.

Panel 1

The next panel is a view of the same place, but things have changed. We don’t see any happy animals. All we see are people—and there are too many of them. They are all neurotically having fun, which means they are trying to have fun, but it is not working… and they are not dressed, when even the animals have fur coats. Everyone is naked so you get the uncomfortable idea that sexuality dominates their actions, which makes them try even harder to have fun, and makes their fake-fun seem more like hysteria. Also, due to their hypersexed lifestyle and an apparent failure to cull, there is massive overcrowding, and the earth is not a happy balanced place anymore. They drive around in weird bubble-like contraptions, they gather in swarms (now we would call them parties) and do stupid things.

Panel 2

Of course the last panel, which people call Hell, is the result of all of this mindlessness and overpopulation. It is a picture of war, humiliation, greed and so on. I find the huge egg-like object particularly disturbing.

Panel 3

There is no devil to blame it on. Instead, there is just man.