Schets van een bebaarde man, van achteren gezien c. 1615 - 1655

Gerard ter Borch created this sketch of a bearded man on paper, its exact date unknown. The drawing presents a study in form and perspective; a figure viewed from behind, rendered with an economy of line and shadow. The artist’s charcoal strokes define the contours of the man’s posture, the fall of fabric, and the texture of his beard. The composition, though minimal, employs a structural technique called ‘repoussoir’, pushing the figure into the foreground, inviting the viewer to engage with the subject’s unseen face. Ter Borch’s command of chiaroscuro is evident, using light and shadow to not only describe form but to create a sense of depth on the flat surface. The sketch's incompleteness opens a space for interpretation. Its unfinished state suggests an emphasis on process over product, and the artist’s attention to the underlying structures of the human form. This allows for a consideration of how such sketches engage with broader questions of artistic representation.