DIA exhibit showcases
Dutch painter Gerard ter Borch
DIA
exhibit showcases Dutch painter:
"DIA exhibit showcases Dutch
painter
DEERFIELD TOWNSHIP - LAPEER CO
THE FLINT JOURNAL FIRST EDITION
Friday, February 25, 2005
By Carol Azizian
cazizian@flintjournal.com • 810.766.6245
"Gerard ter Borch - Master Works"
WHERE: Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave.,
Detroit
WHEN: Sunday through May 22
TICKETS: $12 adults, $6 ages 5-17, at the box office or
www.dia.org
DETAILS: (313) 833-7900
***
Gerard ter Borch was one of the finest genre and portrait
painters of the 17th century. Yet his name is not nearly
as recognizable as Rembrandt or Vermeer.
"If you think of the big three in the Dutch school
(of painting) - Rembrandt, Vermeer and Frans Hals - ter
Borch is every bit their equal," said George S.
Keyes, curator of European paintings at the Detroit
Institute of Arts.
"His art has a subtle message," Keyes said.
"His works are very meditative."
An exhibit of 46 paintings by the Dutch artist opens
Sunday and runs through May 22 at the Detroit Institute
of Arts. It has been assembled from 29 private and public
collections, including the National Gallery in London and
the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam. Two pieces are from the
DIA's collection.
The DIA will be the only other U.S. venue for
"Gerard ter Borch - Master Works" after its
successful run at the National Gallery of Art in
Washington, D.C. The exhibit was organized by the
American Federation of Arts in New York, and the National
Gallery.
"He's an extraordinary painter of both high style
genre subjects and novel portraits," Keyes said.
"He had a refined sensibility. His works were always
sought after. He never ran short of patrons in his
lifetime."
Ter Borch came from an affluent family of artists. He
studied drawing with his father and produced his first
accomplished piece at age 8 in 1625. In 1633, he moved to
Haarlem and became a master in the St. Luke's Guild for
painters while collaborating on landscape portraits.
Soon after, ter Borch visited London, where he was
trained by his uncle, an engraver. He studied in other
European countries, including Spain, where he was
privileged to paint a portrait of King Philip IV in 1637.
In 1654, he married a wealthy widow and settled in the
city of Deventer, painting high Dutch society until he
died in 1681.
Though schooled in many fine art disciplines, he became
most appreciated as an oil painter. Setting is important
for ter Borch, but his real focus is the interaction of
people, Keyes noted.
"He was fascinated by attire and the role of
garments in determining social statures," Keyes
said. "The demeanor of the people was equally
important.
"What's fascinating with ter Borch (as well as
Vermeer) is that you feel as you look at his paintings,
you know what's going on. The more you look at them, the
more you realize you don't. He piques your curiosity but
refuses to provide the answer."
In "Lady at Her Toilette" (1660), an adolescent
brings a letter to a woman standing in a formal interior
next to a table elaborately furnished with a Persian
carpet, candlestick and mirror. A female servant adjusts
her dress. A spaniel plants its forepaws on a chair.
"The woman is actually looking out towards the realm
of the viewer," Keyes pointed out. "She's
looking distracted as if something has momentarily
interrupted her or she's thinking about a thought that's
crossed her mind. Why is she dressed in all of her finery
- presum-ably in anticipation of some kind of social
encounter. But this youth is bringing her a letter - it
could be from a suitor or admirer.
"She's fingering a ring, implying she's married.
You're wondering whether her thoughts don't rest
necessarily with her husband but with another man."
Ter Borch also focused on simple subjects, such as
"A Maid Milking a Cow in a Barn" (1653-54).
"The light seems to play across the cows and the
milk maid," Keyes observed. "There are
wonderful still life details, including the maid's cap, a
basin with drinking water. They are represented so
lovingly that you know the artist is basing what he's
painting on actual objects."
"Horse and Rider" (1633-34), on the other hand,
is unusual because it's painted from a novel vantage
point - one is looking at the horse from the ground or
the so-called "worm's eye perspective," Keyes
said. "There's a sense of oneness between rider and
horse and the slow, lumbering pace suggests they're at
the end of a long journey."
Ter Borch's "The Swearing of the Oath of
Ratification of the Treaty of Munster" (1648) is one
of the most famous group portraits in Dutch 17th century
art, Keyes said.
"It's an iconic moment - sort of like the surrender
of the Confederates at the end of the Civil War," he
said.
The DIA is sponsoring a "Ruff and Ready to
Wear" fashion design competition inspired by ter
Borch's reputation for lavish and detailed garment
depictions in his paintings. Design students will be
given the opportunity to create fashions that include
their modern interpretation of a ruff, or a common-day
ruffle.?
Deadline to submit designs is March 25. A fashion show is
set for April 22 in the DIA's Rivera Court. Details are
available from Tracy Sellers at tsellers@dia.org.
Preview
"Gerard ter Borch - Master Works"
Where: Detroit Institute of Arts, 5200 Woodward Ave.,
Detroit
WHEN: Sunday through May 22
Tickets: $12 adults, $6 ages 5-17, at the box office or
www.dia.org
Details: (313) 833-7900"
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