Vrouw met een sjaal en een schort om, driekwart naar links Possibly 1652

Curator: Oh, there's a kind of hasty beauty here. It’s as though we’ve caught someone in the act of living. Editor: Indeed. We're looking at a drawing entitled "Woman with a Shawl and Apron, Three-Quarter View to the Left," attributed to Harmen ter Borch, possibly from 1652. It's currently housed in the Rijksmuseum, a quick pencil sketch on toned paper. Curator: I find it oddly endearing, though, the way she’s sort of tumbling forward. Her grip on that basket seems almost desperate, doesn't it? Makes you wonder where she is rushing to! Editor: Her urgency is palpable. Considering ter Borch's interest in genre painting, it invites reflection on the daily lives of women in the Dutch Golden Age. Her garb signifies a certain social standing and labour, while her hastened pace perhaps underscores the economic demands of the era. Curator: I see her and wonder, where is her story written? What were her joys, her worries? All those unanswered echoes humming beneath the surface. It makes you long to just… pluck her out and ask her! Editor: Well, the sketch aesthetic lends itself to a raw portrayal. There is a lot going on about her being almost there yet never fully grasping whatever is pushing her so urgently onwards. What I like, though, is ter Borch captures not just an individual, but a reflection of broader societal narratives shaping female experiences during that time. Her image makes you feel, perhaps, uneasy! Curator: It does! Still, there's a human energy that resonates! It’s as if this little drawing holds a whole novel, isn’t it? Editor: It is definitely fascinating to imagine how that sketch and those subtle movements relate to wider cultural shifts that impacted everyday realities for women in the 17th century, the burdens of being, existing! Curator: Agreed. Maybe the best stories are the ones we fill in ourselves.