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 Cathedral of Utrecht, likely using chalk or pastel, maybe even gouache. Look at how the colours are laid down, blocky and geometric, like a stained glass window. It is interesting to see the physical qualities of the piece. The surface is dry and chalky, not wet and fluid. The hand almost feels carved from stone. It gives the image a sort of ancient solidity. It seems fitting that Holst used these materials to design a window for a cathedral. The colours are muted, with golds, reds, and blues all tinged with brown. The black lines around each colour block give the drawing a graphic quality. I'm put in mind of the stained-glass windows of artists like Rouault and Matisse. Holst plays with the same visual language as these artists. In both cases, they're thinking about art as a way to explore the tensions between form and colour. Holst embraces the ambiguities, inviting us to bring our own interpretations.