Man in cape praat met komediant (?) Possibly 1649

Curator: What a delightfully odd couple! Ter Borch’s pen and ink drawing, “Man in cape praat met komediant (?)” – which translates to "Man in cape talking to comedian(?)" - seems like it's straight out of a half-remembered dream, likely sketched around 1649. It now resides in the Rijksmuseum's collection. What jumps out at you first? Editor: A touch of the absurd! The figure on the right – presumably the comedian, judging by his rather prominent nose and theatrical ruff – seems caught mid-spiel. The other man, with his cape and walking stick, cuts a much more serious, almost mournful figure. Curator: I agree; there’s definitely a narrative tension crackling between them. Think about the walking stick; it reads to me as more of a stage prop—almost ceremonial. The cape, too. How many layers of performance do you imagine are being enacted? Editor: Fascinating point. Sticks as symbols go way back, of course – emblems of authority and power, even shamanic talismans. And this one seems like a scepter stripped of its gold. This is no lord! The cape on the other hand feels rather…I want to say common, like those worn during rainy weather when going out for a stroll. Could it be our cape-wearer represents ordinary people? Curator: Absolutely. Perhaps it is about how the ordinary world confronts and consumes entertainment. Also note that neither makes eye contact – is the artist pointing out something awkward and very, very human in how these characters struggle to engage? Or avoid engagement? What are they keeping secret? Editor: You can’t help but imagine what they are arguing about! Ter Borch has a very economic hand with the ink -- each stroke vibrates with intention. He uses the light pencil work as the grounds to present what seems to me an almost autobiographical and characteristically ambiguous statement about wealth. And isn't the very question mark in the title kind of a punchline in itself? Curator: Oh, definitely. That hesitant questioning, that open-endedness... it speaks to the inherent uncertainty of life itself, doesn't it? Like a joke without a clear setup or a story without a neat conclusion. And by refraining from completing this personal, ambiguous anecdote with resolution, the viewer themselves are responsible for its meaning, don't you think? Editor: Exactly! I come back to the texture. Ter Borch creates these wonderfully textured characters with so little; that alone says a lot about how little it takes to fill in missing meanings and turn them into whole, dynamic identities, complete with humor. Curator: True enough! He really understood the quiet comedy inherent in human interactions, the space between words and poses that speaks volumes.