Skelet dansend naast een open graf c. 1656

Gesina ter Borch created this drawing of a skeleton dancing next to an open grave with pen in brown ink. The stark contrast between the dark ink and the untouched paper creates a visually striking image. The composition features a dancing skeleton, which immediately captures our attention, set against the backdrop of death. The skeleton, an archetypal symbol of death, is drawn with precise lines, yet it is caught in a lively dance. In one hand it holds an arrow, in the other, an hourglass. These symbols are not just representational, they question the boundaries between life and death. Ter Borch masterfully manipulates the linear form to convey movement, creating a semiotic dialogue between mortality and vitality. This subverts traditional notions of death as a solemn, static event, and prompts a re-evaluation of these polar opposites.