Zelfportret van Moses ter Borch c. 1660 - 1661

Editor: This is "Self-Portrait of Moses ter Borch," a charcoal drawing from around 1660. The gaze is cast slightly upwards; there's a gentle, almost melancholic expression that’s really striking. What symbols or cultural cues do you see at play here? Curator: The upward gaze, rendered in charcoal with such soft gradations, evokes a reaching, perhaps towards the divine or some higher truth. Consider the long tradition of artists representing themselves, from Dürer to Rembrandt, as a means of self-examination, almost a symbolic act of immortalization. Editor: So the very act of creating a self-portrait is symbolic? Curator: Precisely! And look at the loose, flowing hair—quite characteristic of the Baroque period. Think about the symbolic weight of hair in various cultures: strength, virility, but also vulnerability when unbound. Moses ter Borch captures himself at this fascinating crossroads. Does it remind you of anything? Editor: It almost feels like he’s trying to capture something fleeting, an inner state. It does feel intimate. Curator: Absolutely. Perhaps this is an attempt to pin down not just his likeness but also his spirit. The lack of rigid detail suggests a quest for essential truths rather than surface accuracy. Are we looking at outward appearance or inward reflection? Editor: I hadn’t considered the duality that the loose style brings out, how that choice reveals the intention beyond literal depiction. Thanks, that’s a helpful way to think about portraits. Curator: It invites us to look deeper. These images resonate precisely because we all grapple with self-representation, self-discovery, and mortality itself.