Looking at a mountain, a geologist will see a story covering many
millions of years. Each cliff, ledge, or cranny will tell a part of
this story, speaking oft he rise of magmas, fluctuating sea levels,
changing climate, successive generations of living organisms,
spreading oceans, deep subductions, and colliding continents. We often
wonder how the unfortunate non-geologists can really appreciate a
mountain view!
There is no better way of understanding a mountain than trying to draw
it. Albert Heim (1849-1937) founded a 'Swiss' school of
draughtsmen-geologists. He insisted that 'Seeing is the foundation of
drawing, and we see and observe witht he necessary earnestness only
when we are obliged to draw it. Heim was a positivist, and he believed
that drawing led indeed to an objective rendering of the facts. He
himself honestly recorded features which contradicted his theories,
though he failed to admit the consequences of his own observations.
At the same time, Heim upheld that drawing had the advantage over
photography in that it allowed the essential to be stressed and
accidental forms to be neglected. Not every scientist will consider
the same traits to be 'essential'.My teacher Rudolf Staub (1890-1961)
also made us draw outcrops and views of mountainsides. He told us that
cross-sections had to be beautiful in order be correct. But beauty is
in the eye of the beholder; and 'beautiful' may just as well mean
'drawn according to my concepts'. Staub was a Neo-Romantic, relying on
intuition as much as on logical deduction. In this he shared ground
with theP lato fed romantic poets, such as Friedrich Hölderlin or John
Keats ('Beauty istr uth, truth beauty - that is all / Ye know on
earth, and all ye need to know'). Beauty and truth are not quite
acceptable scientific terms. However geology is a rather inexact
science, at least in its historical aspects, and will allow for some
esprit de finesse besides the necessary esprit de geometrie.
The scientific publications of many distinguished geologists contain
magnificent drawings, diagrams, and sections. Apart from Heim, we may
cite the German Hans Cloos, the American Philip King, and the
Frenchman Leon Moret. I admired Augusto Gansser (born 1910). He used
to draw admirably clear blackboard sketches with his left hand,
simultaneously writing the legend to the right. Itw as not so easy for
his students to keep up. Dr Ilse Seibold is a geologist, and the wife
of the well known geologist Eugen Seibold. She has published on
micropalaeontology and on the history of geology.S he has also written
a little book on the joys and tribulations of living with a geology
professor, which, according to an authority whom I consulted at our
breakfast table, provides a very fair account. Ilse and Eugen Seibold
are the directors of the Geologenarchiv at Freiburg, where interesting
documents on geologists and the history of geology are preserved. The
volume under examination is, in part at least, an outcome of this
activity.
The author has consistently excluded published scientific figures. In
a way, this may be regretted, as their inclusion would have
illustrated the fluctuating boundary between science and art. Her book
is thus limited to the non-scientific drawings and paintings of
geologists. It contains seventy-six figures, in good colour
reproductions (as far as can be judged without knowing the originals),
characterising thirty-eight geologists, all of them male, with birth
dates between 1800 and 1938. With the exception of a Frenchman and a
Dane, they come from Germany, Austria, and the German speaking part of
Switzerland. Short biographies and some general remarks provide the
necessary background. Unavoidably, there are some omissions. The
precise and often atmosphere laden paintings of Hans-Conrad Escher
(1767-1823) are not mentioned,2 nor are the charming watercolours of
Augustin Lombard (1905-97).3
In what ways do the pictorial efforts of geologists differ from those
of, say, dentists, on which we may have to comment, politely though
indistinctly, during consultations? In her summary Seibold stresses
the predominance of landscapes, both familiar surroundings and exotic
places which the geologists have visited for their work or
leisure. Apart from early examples, from a time when drawing was
necessary for the illustration of scientific papers, surprisingly few
of these pictures show 'geological' feeling for landscape, as if their
authors hadt ried to separate their addiction from their
profession. Notable exceptions are provided by the
micropalaeontologist Dietrich Herm (born 1933; especially p. 111) and
the oceanographer Wolf H. Berger (born 1937; p. 115). Among field
oriented geologists, Wilhelm Paulcke (1873-1949; especially p. 84)
deserves a special mention.
There are few portraits. Those by Heim (pp. 18-19) are very
distinctive, the rapid sketches by Martin Schwarzbach (born 1907;
pp. 32-33) quite delightful. Architectural motifs are well
represented, trees and animals only scantily.
Geologists are supposed to have rather simple, down to earth
minds. There are, of course, also complex and troubled characters, but
perhaps less so than in other scientific disciplines. Most of the
illustrations in this book do not contradict this prejudice. Attempts
at abstract art are exceptional.
Techniques range from simple sketches, or even doodles, to quite
elaborate oil paintings. Dr Seibold contributes judicious remarks on
the influence of ancienta nd contemporary artists and of changing
fashions through time, sometimes even during the lifetime of one
geologist.
Some well known geologists are represented by extremely interesting
works, for example Johannes Walther (1860-1937; pp. 73-75), a pioneer
of facies analysis, or the great tectonician Hans Cloos (1885-1951;
pp. 23, 25, 89). The drawings of Eugen Wegmann (1896-1982; see Fig. 1
of this review) and the silhouettes byHelmuth B?gel (born 1927;
pp. 119-121) express an acute sense of humour. On theo ther hand, a
rather conventional line drawing by Eduard Suess (1831-1914; p. 15)
adds little to our admiration for this outstanding scientist.
A few geologists whose scientific output is less widely known show an
undeniable artistic gift. We may mention Rudolf Maass (born 1930;
pp. 39-41) and particularly Otto Jaekel (1863-1929; pp. 78-81; see
Fig. 2 of this review). Jaekel, a cantankerous palaeontologist
working mainly at the University of Greifswald, in northeastern
Germany, provides one of the few cases where the nagging question
'It's pretty, but is it art?' can unhesitatingly be answered in the
affirmative. The same applies, of course, to Per Kirkeby (born 1938).4
This versatile Danish artist obtained a doctorate in geology and took
part in several expeditions, among other places to Greenland. Most of
his impressive works bear no title; geologists will nevertheless
imagine rocks, crystals, and, particularly, caves.
Interdisciplinary Science Reviews, 2002, vol. 27, no.2
Rudolf Trümpy