Geschilderd raam in de Slotkapel Egmond te Egmond aan den Hoef 1907

This photograph captures a painted window in the Slotkapel Egmond. It was taken anonymously by Monumentenzorg. The cool tones of this photographic reproduction give a somber air to the stained glass. You can see the architecture around the window, but the focus is clearly the glass itself, and how it catches and refracts light. There’s a real material quality to the image. It’s not about hiding the process. It feels like the opposite - as if the image wants you to see every detail. The grid in the glass is so satisfying, it reminds me of some of Agnes Martin’s grids. The texture of the glass is incredible, I can almost feel it between my fingers. You can see that it's definitely handmade and has an imperfect, almost wobbly quality. Looking at it now, I’m thinking about how the process of making art is like a conversation. This piece reminds me a little of Gerhard Richter's stained glass window in Cologne Cathedral. Both share this tension between abstract geometry and more representational forms, but that’s where the similarity ends. Ultimately, these works resist easy explanations. And that's what keeps us looking, right?