Twee zelfportretten en Het oordeel van Paris c. 1626 - 1687

This sketchbook page by Moses ter Borch, made around the mid-17th century, presents three distinct studies in pen and brown ink. The page is divided into three studies, each a window into different emotional and narrative spaces. On either side, we find two self-portraits set against a blue-grey ground. Look at how line and shadow articulate the nuances of facial expression. To the left, a visage of distress; to the right, a more composed, almost melancholic demeanor. These are studies in emotional contrast, revealing the artist's exploration of selfhood. The central image is The Judgement of Paris. The dynamism here—the clustering of figures, the pronounced diagonals—invites us to consider the underlying structure of myth and its representation. Notice how these compositions engage with art's capacity to dissect human emotion and classical narrative.