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

Editor: This is "Ontwerp voor raam in het Noordertransept in de Dom te Utrecht," or "Design for a window in the North Transept of the Utrecht Cathedral," created around 1934 by Richard Nicolaüs Roland Holst. It's a drawing in ink on paper, currently held at the Rijksmuseum. It's… quite earthy in tone, almost sepia-like. What do you see in this piece? Curator: It whispers of Gothic grandeur, doesn’t it? The piece breathes with the quiet contemplation I often feel when sunlight streams through stained glass, even though it is a monochromatic study. It also evokes the Dutch aesthetic of the 1930s, which loved order and a strong foundation! You almost feel the pressure of its potential scale! Tell me, does that curvature seem intentional to you, or simply inherent in the window design? Editor: I think it's intentional, giving it a very modern look that plays against the historical inspiration! What’s interesting, and I missed it at first, is that it’s a preparatory drawing. Curator: Ah, exactly! A blueprint of the imagination! A delicate dance between intention and accident. Roland Holst is working towards a greater vision! These kinds of drawings make me feel connected to the artistic process, more like you see every idea that was tried and abandoned! Like a painting has been peeled open for my consideration. What’s left behind when they make stained glass? Editor: So true! I hadn’t thought of it like that before, but I get your meaning. I'm left thinking about all the effort put into it! Curator: And that is what enchants! Art becomes its truest expression when every color, line, or decision made whispers an unsung tune. That we are even listening to it together fills me with childlike excitement.