WHO: Heidi Gealt, IU Art Museum director
WHAT: "Portrait of a Lady," Gerard Terborch (Dutch)
WHY: Gealt said in an e-mail message, "It's a genuine masterpiece in every sense of the word. It does what all great art does -- reconciles opposites. This portrait of a woman is practically a miniature in terms of scale, yet it's monumental in its presence. It portrays a woman's face honestly, revealing all her imperfections forthrightly, yet it makes this imperfect woman absolutely perfect in her utter humanity. It tells us that people were, are and will be, an essential subject of study -- that we exist in time, yet transcend time. This image blends 'reality' and 'fiction,' blending them together so beautifully that we don't know where one ends and the other begins. But on a purely 'formal' level -- that is composition - this seemingly simple image suddenly reveals a level of visual sophistication that is astonishing."
"Portrait of a Lady" can be found at the IU Art Museum. For more information, visit www.artmuseum.iu.edu.
