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Detroit, March,
2005---Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681)
is the Dutch Master who captured intimate moments of everyday life
with elegance and grace. The Detroit Institute of Arts (DIA)
is presenting the stunning exhibition, Gerard ter Borch now
until May 22, 2005. This is the first presentation in North America
exclusively of works by Ter Borch, one of the finest portrait and genre
painters of the 17th century. Gerard ter Borch comprises
46 of his best masterpieces that have been brought together from 29
private and public collections including the National Gallery in London
and the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, along with two pieces from DIA's
renowned 17th century Dutch collection. The DIA will be the only
other U.S. venue for Gerard ter Borch after its successful
run in Washington D.C. at the National Gallery.
"Many of Gerard ter Borch's paintings depict in a
painstaking realist technique, social and psychological interactions
among the well-to-do in Holland. While some scenes seem immediately
decipherable, the precise meanings of others has eluded scholars and
connoisseurs for the best part pf three centuries," says Graham W.J.
Beal, DIA director.
A Brief Biography of Gerard ter Borch
Gerard
ter Borch the Younger was born in Zwolle, the Netherlands,
in 1617 to an affluent family of artists, but he would become the
most accomplished and successful. He showed early aptitude as an
artist while studying drawing with his father, Gerard ter Borch
the Elder, producing his first accomplished piece 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 during his apprenticeship for Pieter
Molijn. Soon after, Ter Borch visited London, where
he was trained by his uncle, engraver Robert van Voerst. It
has also been documented that he traveled to other countries
in Europe to study, including Spain, where
he was privileged to paint a portrait of King Philip IV in
1637.
Although
Ter Borch was schooled in many disciplines of fine art, he
became most appreciated as an oil painter, earning praise for
his ability to render the varied textures of luxurious fabrics
such as silk, satin, lace and leather. Ter Borch’s work also went beyond
masterful technique; his psychological insight into the drama
of the encounters he depicted, capturing the inner life of his
subjects, set him apart from his contemporaries. In addition
to Ter Borch’s many
portraits and genre scenes, he recorded important historical
events during his three-year stay in Münster, Westphalia.
Two of his renowned paintings, The Swearing of the Oath
of Ratification of the Treaty of Münster (1648) and The
Arrival of Adriaen de Pauw (1646), were the most celebrated
among his political depictions.In 1654,
Ter Borch married Geertruyt Matthijs, with whom he settled in
Deventer and become a gemeensman (city counselor) in 1666. He
remained in Deventer, painting
high Dutch society until he died in 1681.
A
Fashion Tidbit
If
you look carefully at the soles of the figures' shoes in
Dutch art representing the well-to-do of this era, you
will also see that the soles are never scuffed or soiled. This
is because the wealthy Dutch were carried everywhere---they never
walked in the streets. The contemporary Paris shoemaker
Christian Louboutin, creates his exclusive "red sole" shoes in
tribute to these times. And Former Vogue and Harper's
Bazaar editor Diana Vreeland had her maid polish the soles
of her boots every night.
The
Detroit Institute of Art
5200
Woodward Avenue
www.dia.org
Gerard
ter Borch
through
May 22, 2005
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