Landschap met Adam en Eva 1624 - 1690

Editor: Here we have Gerard ter Borch the Younger's ink drawing, "Landscape with Adam and Eve," which the Rijksmuseum dates sometime between 1624 and 1690. It's sketchy, like a fleeting thought made visible. I am intrigued by how much negative space there is compared to what’s actually there. What strikes you about this piece? Curator: Isn't it delicious? It feels as though we are glimpsing a private moment, almost spying on them! Ter Borch is doing so much with so little – those wispy trees, that almost hesitant Adam offering… something? It really encapsulates that moment of decision, doesn't it? And it really does look like a landscape first, and THEN a little story pops up, or do you disagree? Editor: I see what you mean! The figures almost melt into the environment. At first glance, it really is just a landscape drawing. The positioning under that dramatic tree kind of amplifies it for me - I hadn't quite thought about the idea of decision, or its relationship to nature, before! Curator: It feels less about guilt, more about curiosity to me. I’m wondering if Ter Borch felt that way too. You can tell that the guilt will come later, almost like an anecdote being born… But now, that initial wonder? I adore it. So, if you were writing the story based on what we see here, what would the dialogue be? Editor: Oh, that’s interesting! Maybe something like Adam asking Eve, "But what if…?" And she replies: "Then we'll know, won't we?" Thanks for that shift in perspective! I saw guilt first, but seeing the curiosity…that makes the story fresh!