De klokkenluider 1921

Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst made this design for stained glass, De klokkenluider, or The Bellringer, with chalk and charcoal. It’s all about process; you can see the artist figuring things out as he goes. The colors aren't blended; they're laid down in these discrete, almost geometric shapes. Holst's use of chalk and charcoal gives the surface a kind of gritty texture, which contrasts with the smooth, light-filled surfaces we expect from stained glass. Look at how the reddish hues in the bellringer’s robe are outlined with bold strokes of charcoal. It gives the figure a sense of weight and presence, like he’s really there, pulling that rope. The body feels solid and present, yet it's also broken up into planes, like a cubist painting. There's something about the raw, almost primitive quality of this drawing that reminds me of the German Expressionists. Holst, like them, is reaching for something beyond surface appearances, something deeper and more emotionally resonant. Art is never really finished anyway, it's just a process of trying to get closer.