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Share on bskyThere’s nothing like a trip to a museum or a local art gallery when you want some inspiration, or just to shift your perspective.
I invite you to transport yourself to a different time period where your stressors do not exist and take part in a little escapism.
I’ve collected examples from four painters with painting from the Renassiance and Baroque time periods that might just give you that epiphany you are looking for, if you allow them.
Frans Franken II (otherwise known as Frans Francken the Younger)
Painting:
Mankind’s Eternal Dilemma: The Choice Between Virtue and Vice (1633)
This beautiful and deeply allegorical painting by Flemish painter Frans Francken II explores our “eternal dilemma”—the everyday human choice between virtue and vice. It dives into temptation and sensuality (lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, envy, pride, wrath, heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery) versus the orderly, grounding qualities of virtue: faith, hope, charity, prudence, justice, fortitude, and temperance.
The painting splits itself into three realms:
Hell at the bottom, Earth in the middle, and Heaven at the top.
I find that it reminds me of themes from the Divine Comedy, in the best way.
Hieronymus Bosch
Painting:
The Garden of Earthly Delights (1490-1510)
This triptych by Dutch painter Hieronymus Bosch is nothing short of a masterpiece (seriously!).
With a theme somewhat similar to our first painting, Francken’s Mankind’s Eternal Dilemma, Bosch’s work is a full visual exploration of Adam and Eve, temptation, earthly pleasure, and the consequences of vice.
The left panel shows Adam and Eve; the center panel is the namesake “Garden of Earthly Delights,” overflowing with carnal desires and indulgence (and yes—Bosch definitely leans into the sultry, strange, sexy chaos we still see around us today). The right panel? Pure, nightmarish hell.
And when the triptych is closed, you can see below that it forms a sphere meant to depict creation itself—the world before humans arrived. With a sphere representing perfection and wholeness. Amazing.
Andrea Mantegna
Painting:
Triumph of the Virtues (1502)
Italian Renaissance painter Andrea Mantegna depicts Minerva (in blue), the Roman goddess of wisdom, intellect, and moral strength. She swoops in to drive out the vices while the virtues stand behind her, ready to take their place. Most figures represent either a vice or a virtue—greed, sloth, justice, fortitude, and so on.
Minerva brings the clarity and wisdom needed to clear out the lower vibes of humanity and replace them with higher ones, ultimately lifting the soul toward higher realms (aka, heaven). Talk about deeply meaningful, transformative energy radiating from a painting!
Giovanni Battista Gaull (also known as “Baciccio”)
Painting:
The Triumph of the Name of Jesus (1672-1685)
This awe-inspiring fresco by Baciccio covers the ceiling of the Church of the Gesù in Rome. The painting blends seamlessly into the architecture, creating the illusion that the heavenly figures are literally bursting out—ascending into our space.
At the center, the glowing “IHS” monogram (the Greek abbreviation for Jesus) radiates outward, symbolizing Christ as the light of the world. Surrounding it are cascades of angels and the blessed, all rising toward divine illumination.
But look toward the lower edge, and you’ll see the damned—those whose choices or actions keep them from reaching those higher realms—tumbling away from the light.
This piece is a total visual explosion, but the symbolic depth is just as intoxicating.
These four paintings share a focus on moral and spiritual themes, exploring virtue and vice, human choices, and the consequences of actions. They depict struggles between heaven and hell, ascension and downfall, showing the tension between earthly desires and higher ideals. Through dramatic composition, expressive figures, and symbolic imagery, each painting invites viewers to reflect on ethics, destiny, and the moral paths available to humanity.
Tell me, how did those land for you?
If you’re feeling a bit off, give it some time.
These four paintings are not simple. If you want to view each one in more detail check out the links I have provided below. You can zoom in for even more detail! Enjoy.
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Image References
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