Ode to a Geologist

Painting

-

Calvin University Center Art Gallery

The image depicts a surreal painting featuring an abstract figure against a rich blue background, composed of a textured, multicolored rocks, evoking a sense of mystery and otherworldly presence.

The image depicts a surreal painting featuring an abstract figure against a rich blue background, composed of a textured, multicolored rocks, evoking a sense of mystery and otherworldly presence.

Name/Title

Ode to a Geologist

Entry/Object ID

2012.16.1

Description

Dark purplish/black natural rock pillar on which is balanced a slightly rounded white, yellow, and purple spotted stone. All against a blue background that fades toward the bottom.

Type of Painting

Easel

Artwork Details

Medium

Acrylic

Category

Calvin Faculty Artist, On-Display at Calvin University, Plants and Nature

Made/Created

Artist

Chris Stoffel Overvoorde

Date made

1972

Dimensions

Dimension Description

image size

Height

47-1/2 in

Width

35-1/2 in

Dimension Description

frame size

Height

56-3/4 in

Width

44-5/8 in

Exhibition

Chris Stoffel Overvoorde, Life in Art: Grand Rapids Art Museum June 19 – July 14, 2003

General Notes

Note

Expanded Wall Label: Ode to a Geologist reflects Overvoorde’s increasing interest in rocks and rock formations. Dr. Clarence Menninga, a colleague of Overvoorde at Calvin College, was one of the first people to originally inspire Overvoorde to consider rocks as subject matter. The poem to the right was written specifically for the painting by Cor Barendrecht. Ode To a Geologist Stones without faces Leaning together Like bones in a skeleton Sharing only the shock Of the whole Faces without eyes Which, not having seen, Yet know Or maybe faces of death Or marks of a wrangler Fireballs thrown at A cold earth By a destructive hand Or maybe tennis balls Tossed about in A vacuum Between Armpits of mountains By the motion of A player Silent stones speak In every tongue They tell time & time will tell how the earth lot its face & how the moon got hers In time Human face-savers Will know Of an eternity of thought Which went into these Stones Cor Barendrecht