Schets van Moses ter Borch, in profiel naar links after 1627

Curator: This subtle drawing, held at the Rijksmuseum, is titled "Schets van Moses ter Borch, in profiel naar links"— "Sketch of Moses ter Borch, in profile to the left." It is attributed to Gerard ter Borch II, and likely dates from after 1627. Editor: Immediately, I notice its ephemerality. The pencil and graphite seem barely there on the page. You get the feeling of a fleeting observation, captured almost invisibly. Curator: Indeed. Consider the symbolism of a portrait rendered with such lightness. Ter Borch seems to suggest the fragile nature of identity, of the self always shifting and reforming. Editor: Or perhaps it reflects the constraints of the materials themselves? The artist is limited by the fragility of graphite, by the tooth of the paper. His social context surely played a part, dictating access to finer, perhaps bolder, mediums? Was this perhaps a preliminary sketch for something more permanent, maybe using other available materials? Curator: It’s certainly plausible this served as a study. Yet, there's a vulnerability in the incompleteness, isn't there? It reminds us that memory and representation are always partial. The hazy rendering perhaps reflecting something incomplete. This is compounded if we see this as an evocation of the Biblical Moses – a symbolic cultural leader often representing transitions of faith and leadership. Editor: I'm compelled by the bare materiality. Look at how the graphite catches the light, the imperfections in the paper adding to the raw feel. And the stains. These aren’t imperfections, rather they speak volumes of a life in the studio, materials at hand, chance happenings inscribed onto the artwork over time. These are physical markers of the artist’s labor. Curator: It's fascinating how our perspectives shape our interpretations. For me, this is a ghost of a man, hinting at broader truths about cultural figures. Editor: And for me, the residue of the studio is just as illuminating as the profile captured by the artist's hand.