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 Utrecht Cathedral with chalk and gouache, can you imagine? The brown and blue collide in the centre, as the off-white chalk radiates light, drawing your eye. I can almost feel Holst standing at his easel, chalk dust clinging to his fingers. The geometric forms, like puzzle pieces, come together suggesting both weight and ethereal lightness. He is searching for balance, that's for sure. There’s a kinship here, an echo of the stained glass windows of medieval cathedrals. Maybe Holst had them in mind. Maybe he was considering how light filters through colored glass, transforming space and experience. It makes you wonder about what the artist wanted people to feel and think. Holst must have considered it too. Artists are always in conversation, you know? Each gesture, each color choice, builds upon what has come before, opening new avenues for those who follow.