Zes cirkelvormige ontwerpen 1878 - 1938

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made these six circular designs with ink and graphite on paper. You know, I can almost see him at his desk, a pool of light illuminating his workspace as he leaned in, rotating the paper, intent on the process of building up these shapes within shapes. There’s something very tender and thoughtful about the graphite shading – it reminds me of Agnes Martin’s quiet geometries. I wonder if Holst felt a similar pull towards simple forms, searching for something fundamental in the act of arranging and dividing space? I mean, look at the way he returns to the same motif, six times! It’s like he was trying to exhaust the possibilities, pushing at the edges of his own understanding. Maybe Holst was in dialogue with other artists, responding to their ideas and practices, and pushing against them, too. That’s what we all do, after all. This piece invites curiosity, a playful exploration of form, which refuses fixed interpretations.