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 using chalk and graphite. I can imagine him there, hunched over the paper, carefully mapping out these geometric forms that look like both clouds and cobblestones. What a balance he’s trying to strike here between representation and abstraction! The black lines defining the shapes are so assertive, almost like leading in stained glass, but then the chalky textures soften everything, making it feel like a hazy memory. The way the colors shift from warm earth tones to cool blues reminds me of twilight, that magical time when the world is bathed in a soft, ethereal light. Holst is playing with light, for sure, thinking how it will look when filtered through coloured glass, knowing it will change during the day. Isn’t it amazing how an image can evoke a feeling so strongly? Artists are always talking to each other, across time. Holst’s conversation here is about the meeting of heaven and earth.