Copyright: Rijks Museum: Open Domain
This postcard of a stained-glass window bust was made by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst, and who knows what the medium is, some kind of print? First, my eye is drawn to the head of the figure, how it’s broken up into segments, echoing the structure of the stained glass itself, and also how the tone is reversed. The texture is made through these tiny dots, a kind of stippling effect, which is very cool. There’s something ancient and modern about it all at once. Looking closer, I’m noticing how the surface is really activated. There is so much going on: the floral motifs, the head again, and the lead lines, like a shattered mirror put back together. It reminds me a bit of Odilon Redon, with that focus on visionary subjects. But this is rougher, more grounded. It’s not trying to be perfect, and in that imperfection, there's a real beauty.
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