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

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst created this design for a window using pencil, charcoal, and watercolor. I can imagine Holst hunched over his drawing board, experimenting with shapes and light, conjuring an atmosphere of contemplative energy. The palette is subdued – browns, blacks, and blues, with just a flash of red. It feels like he’s wrestling with the image, trying to find the right balance between structure and fluidity, order and chaos. Look at the sharp diagonal that cuts across the composition. The large triangular and diamond shapes, like tectonic plates, give way to a fractured upper section of small irregular polygons. It reminds me of Cubism and the desire to depict multiple perspectives and dimensions simultaneously. What kind of stained glass would these shapes become? Artists are always in conversation with one another, borrowing, stealing, and riffing off ideas. Holst, working in his own time, might have been inspired by the same quest for spiritual expression that moves through abstract art today. It's a reminder that making art is an ongoing experiment, a constant search for new ways to make meaning.