1617 -1681 · Zwolle, Münster, Deventer and Dutch intimacy

Silver satin, sealed letters, restrained conversations and ambiguous glances make Gerard ter Borch one of the most subtle narrators of the Dutch Golden Age.

Gerard ter Borch was born in Zwolle in 1617 and received his first lessons from his father, Gerard ter Borch the Elder. At a very young age, he drew with remarkable certainty then traveled to Haarlem, Amsterdam, London, Italy, Germany and Spain. This mobility gave him a culture of court portraiture and particular attention to costumes. In 1648, he attended the negotiations which concluded the Peace of Münster. In 1648, he attended the negotiations which concluded the Peace of Münster. In 1648, he attended the negotiations which concluded the Peace of Münster. In 1648, he attended the negotiations which concluded the Peace of Münster. In 1648, he attended the negotiations which concluded the Peace of Münster. His Ratification of the Treaty of Münster represented the Dutch and Spanish delegates taking the oath with almost documentary accuracy; Ter Borch was included among the witnesses. After 1654, he settled in Deventer and developed the domestic scenes for which he was famous. In small silent interiors, a woman reads, writes or seals a letter; an officer dictates a message; musicians suspend their game; a suitor waits for a response. The story remains deliberately open. A look, a displaced chair or an almost hidden object is enough to suggest desire, negotiation or social distance. Ter Borch is famous for his white and gray satins. They are not painted as simple shiny surfaces: folds, reflections and weight of the fabric structure the body, space and status of the character. The letter becomes a central motif because it allows an emotion to be shown without naming it. The letter becomes a central motif because it allows you to show emotion without naming it. The letter becomes a central motif because it allows you to show emotion without naming it. The painter also creates small format portraits, often full-length, where costume and restraint express rank with great economy. His student Caspar Netscher extends this refined language. Died in Deventer in 1681, Ter Borch influenced Metsu, Vermeer and many painters of the elegant scene. His art never tells the whole story: it transforms the viewer into an interpreter of gestures and silences. The selection "Gerard ter Borch" notably compares Woman Sealing a Letter and A Woman Reading a Book. His reading favors space.

Ter Borch tells the edge of silence: a closed letter or a fold of satin often contains more of a story than a spectacular gesture.