Ontwerp voor raam in het Noordertransept in de Dom te Utrecht c. 1934

This is a design for a window in the Utrecht Cathedral, made by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. It's all done in charcoal and chalk, with just a touch of red. I imagine Roland Holst standing there, charcoal in hand, mapping out this whole composition. The hands holding a chalice—he's really thought about the light, how it hits the forms, and how the window will glow. The lines create facets, like stained glass but drawn. There’s something reverent about the subject matter. It reminds me of other artists grappling with spirituality, like Hilma af Klint, but with a more grounded feel. You know, the materiality of chalk, how it smudges, how it builds up a surface. I wonder if he struggled with how to represent the divine in a physical medium. Artists are always riffing off each other, echoing ideas across time. Roland Holst has really considered the possibilities of the medium here and the conversations it can have.