Gerard ter Borch II

Gerard ter Borch (1617-1681)

Gerard ter Borch was born in Zwolle in 1617. He learned to paint from his father, Gerard ter Borch the Elder. In 1633, the young Ter Borch went to Haarlem to work at the studio of Pieter de Molijn. There Ter Borch added human figures to the master's landscapes. In the 1650s Ter Borch began focusing on genre painting. His work reveals similarities to that of the Delft painters of the period, including Pieter de Hooch. Ter Borch's visit to Delft in 1653 might have had something to do with this. The painter became especially noted for his portraits and his paintings of elegant, richly dressed people in barely furnished interiors.