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

This drawing for a window in the North Transept of the Dom in Utrecht is by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. It's a complex design of geometric panes, suffused with deep reds, blues and yellows. I can imagine Holst wrestling with the composition, searching for the right balance of color and form. It’s like he’s building a world from colored shards, piecing together a vision that is both representational and deeply abstract. The flower at the heart of the work is rendered with tender strokes. It’s a symbol, perhaps of hope or renewal, carefully placed amidst the fractured landscape. Looking at the dense lines, I’m reminded of other artists grappling with the tensions between representation and abstraction, artists like Hilma af Klint or even Mondrian. There’s a sense of striving, of pushing the boundaries of what art can be. Holst is inviting us to see the world in new ways, to find beauty and meaning in the unexpected. It's a really interesting piece.