by natalie samulka

In the upper left-hand corner of the center panel, Bosch portrays the various stages of civilization, from marching out of the “wilderness” to communication. My self portrait is designed to represent the spread of literacy and communication, and the temptations that come with it. Above my head, the tree is sprouting red berries, symbolic of the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge. One figure is passing a red book, with the hue modified to match the berries, to a group of figures, including me. I placed myself in this area of the painting for two reasons. One, I have a very personal connection to reading and language in general. I spent a lot of my childhood buried in piles of books, featuring narratives ranging from lady detectives to fairy adventures. I believe that this experience had a profound impact on me, perhaps more so than any of my other childhood pastimes. Two, some of the most impactful readings we’ve done in this class, including but not limited to Scattered all Over the Earth, The Human Condition, and The Tempest, feature strong themes of language. My affinity for language inspired me to place myself in the throes of its conundrums and complexities.