Ontwerp voor raam in het Noordertransept in de Dom te Utrecht c. 1934

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made this design for a window in the Utrecht Cathedral with crayon, chalk, and graphite. Look at the brown and red blocks. Imagine Holst in his studio, stepping back, squinting, adding another line. He’s not just making a picture; he’s wrestling with light, thinking about how the colours will shift as the sun moves across the sky. That figure in the top corner, staring upwards, maybe he’s lost in thought, wondering about faith, or maybe he’s just waiting for the coffee break. Holst’s lines are full of feeling, a kind of searching. The chalky texture gives it a ghostly presence. It reminds me of stained glass but also Cubism. Holst is part of a conversation, echoing artists from the past and anticipating those to come. It is an experiment, and a beautiful, heartfelt attempt to capture something intangible.