While visiting the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam this spring, there were lovely surprises - first we were lucky to get last second tickets to the Vermeer Exhibition, and second, we "discovered" the Cuypers Library (had no idea of its existence) within the museum. The largest and oldest library in Netherlands, It is an elegant soaring space, flooded with light from 3 arched windows and vaulted glass ceiling. The iron staircase gracefully spirals into the deeper reaches of this massive archive of knowledge. I used black and white in this piece to simplify an otherwise very complex image and to emphasize the curve of the stair rail and sense of light, and to convey a narrative of knowledge bringing light to darkness.