(known in English as ''Art Forms in Nature'') is a book of lithographic and

halftone Halftone is the reprographic technique that simulates continuous tone, continuous-tone imagery through the use of dots, varying either in size or in spacing, thus generating a gradient-like effect.Campbell, Alastair. ''The Designer's Lexicon''. ...

prints by German biologist

Ernst Haeckel Ernst Heinrich Philipp August Haeckel (; ; 16 February 1834 – 9 August 1919) was a German zoologist, natural history, naturalist, eugenics, eugenicist, Philosophy, philosopher, physician, professor, marine biology, marine biologist and artist ...

Publication

Originally published in sets of ten between 1899 and 1904 and collectively in two volumes in 1904, it consists of 100 prints of various organisms, many of which were first described by Haeckel himself. Over the course of his career, over 1000 prints were produced based on Haeckel's sketches and

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

s; many of the best of these were chosen for , translated from sketch to print by lithographer Adolf Giltsch. A second edition of , containing only 30 prints, was produced in 1914.

Themes

According to Haeckel scholar Olaf Breidbach, the work was "not just a book of illustrations but also the summation of his view of the world." The over-riding themes of the plates are

symmetry Symmetry () in everyday life refers to a sense of harmonious and beautiful proportion and balance. In mathematics, the term has a more precise definition and is usually used to refer to an object that is Invariant (mathematics), invariant und ...

and level of organization. The subjects were selected to embody these to the full, from the scale patterns of

boxfish Ostraciidae or Ostraciontidae is a family of squared, Actinopterygii, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfi ...

es to the spirals of

ammonite Ammonoids are extinct, (typically) coiled-shelled cephalopods comprising the subclass Ammonoidea. They are more closely related to living octopuses, squid, and cuttlefish (which comprise the clade Coleoidea) than they are to nautiluses (family N ...

s to the perfect symmetries of jellies and microorganisms, while images composing each plate are arranged for maximum visual impact. Among the notable prints are numerous radiolarians, which Haeckel helped to popularize among amateur microscopists; at least one example is found in almost every set of 10.

Cnidaria Cnidaria ( ) is a phylum under kingdom Animalia containing over 11,000 species of aquatic invertebrates found both in fresh water, freshwater and marine environments (predominantly the latter), including jellyfish, hydroid (zoology), hydroids, ...

also feature prominently throughout the book, including sea anemones as well as

Siphonophorae Siphonophorae (from Ancient Greek σίφων (siphōn), meaning "tube" and -φόρος (-phóros), meaning "bearing") is an order within Hydrozoa, a class of marine organisms within the phylum Cnidaria. According to the World Register of Marin ...

, Semaeostomeae, and other

medusae Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals, althoug ...

. The first set included ''Desmonema annasethe'' (now '' Cyanea annasethe''), a particularly striking

jellyfish Jellyfish, also known as sea jellies or simply jellies, are the #Life cycle, medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, which is a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animal ...

that Haeckel observed and described shortly after the death of his wife Anna Sethe; the tentacles reminded him of her long flowing hair.

Influence

was influential in early 20th-century art, architecture, and design, bridging the gap between science and art. In particular, many artists associated with

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

were influenced by Haeckel's images, including René Binet, Karl Blossfeldt, Hans Christiansen, and

Émile Gallé Émile Gallé (; 4 May 1846 in Nancy, France, Nancy – 23 September 1904 in Nancy) was a French artist and designer who worked in glass, and is considered to be one of the major innovators in the French Art Nouveau movement. He was noted fo ...

. One prominent example is the Amsterdam Commodities Exchange designed by

Hendrik Petrus Berlage Hendrik Petrus Berlage (; 21 February 185612 August 1934) was a Dutch architect and designer. He is considered one of the fathers of the architecture of the Amsterdam School. Life and work Hendrik Petrus Berlage, son of Nicolaas Willem Ber ...

: it was in part inspired by illustrations.Breidbach, ''Visions of Nature'', pp. 231, 268-269

Gallery of prints

Haeckel's original classifications appear in ''italics''. File:Haeckel Actiniae.jpg,

Sea anemone Sea anemones ( ) are a group of predation, predatory marine invertebrates constituting the order (biology), order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemone ...

(''Actiniae'') File:Haeckel Anthomedusae.jpg, Anthomedusa (''Anthomedusae'') File:Siphonophorae. - Staatsquallen LCCN2015648923.jpg,

Siphonophore Siphonophorae (from Ancient Greek σίφων (siphōn), meaning "tube" and -φόρος (-phóros), meaning "bearing") is an order within Hydrozoa, a class of marine organisms within the phylum Cnidaria. According to the World Register of Marine ...

(''Siphonophorae'') File:Haeckel Diatomea 4.jpg,

Diatoms A diatom (Neo-Latin ''diatoma'') is any member of a large group comprising several Genus, genera of algae, specifically microalgae, found in the oceans, waterways and soils of the world. Living diatoms make up a significant portion of Earth's B ...

(''Diatomea'') File:Haeckel Antilopina.jpg,

Antelope The term antelope refers to numerous extant or recently extinct species of the ruminant artiodactyl family Bovidae that are indigenous to most of Africa, India, the Middle East, Central Asia, and a small area of Eastern Europe. Antelopes do ...

(''Antilopina'') File:Haeckel Arachnida.jpg,

Arachnid Arachnids are arthropods in the Class (biology), class Arachnida () of the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, opiliones, harvestmen, Solifugae, camel spiders, Amblypygi, wh ...

(''Arachnida'') File:Haeckel Ascidiae.jpg, Ascidian (''Ascidiae'') File:Haeckel Batrachia.jpg,

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely semiaquatic group of short-bodied, tailless amphibian vertebrates composing the order (biology), order Anura (coming from the Ancient Greek , literally 'without tail'). Frog species with rough ski ...

(''Batrachia'') File:Haeckel Bryozoa.jpg, ''

Bryozoa Bryozoa (also known as the Polyzoa, Ectoprocta or commonly as moss animals) are a phylum of simple, aquatic animal, aquatic invertebrate animals, nearly all living in sedentary Colony (biology), colonies. Typically about long, they have a spe ...

'' File:Haeckel Chelonia.jpg,

Turtle Turtles are reptiles of the order (biology), order Testudines, characterized by a special turtle shell, shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Crypt ...

(''Chelonia'') File:Haeckel Ciliata.jpg,

Ciliate The ciliates are a group of alveolates characterized by the presence of hair-like organelles called cilia, which are identical in structure to flagellum, eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a ...

(''Ciliata'') File:Haeckel Chaetopoda.jpg,

Annelid The annelids (), also known as the segmented worms, are animals that comprise the phylum Annelida (; ). The phylum contains over 22,000 extant species, including ragworms, earthworms, and leeches. The species exist in and have adapted to vario ...

(''Chaetopoda'') File:Haeckel Chiroptera.jpg,

Bat Bats are flying mammals of the order Chiroptera (). With their forelimbs adapted as wings, they are the only mammals capable of true and sustained flight. Bats are more agile in flight than most birds, flying with their very long spread-out ...

(''Chiroptera'') File:Haeckel Coniferae.jpg,

Conifer Conifers () are a group of conifer cone, cone-bearing Spermatophyte, seed plants, a subset of gymnosperms. Scientifically, they make up the phylum, division Pinophyta (), also known as Coniferophyta () or Coniferae. The division contains a sin ...

(''Coniferae'') File:Haeckel Copepoda.jpg,

Copepod Copepods (; meaning 'oar-feet') are a group of small crustaceans found in nearly every freshwater and saltwater habitat (ecology), habitat. Some species are planktonic (living in the water column), some are benthos, benthic (living on the sedimen ...

(''Copepoda'') File:Haeckel Cubomedusae.jpg,

Box jellyfish Box jellyfish (class Cubozoa) are cnidarian invertebrates distinguished by their box-like (i.e., cube-shaped) body. Some species of box jellyfish produce potent venom delivered by contact with their tentacles. Stings from some species, including ' ...

(''Cubomedusae'') File:Haeckel Decapoda.jpg,

Decapods The Decapoda or decapods, from Ancient Greek δεκάς (''dekás''), meaning "ten", and πούς (''poús''), meaning "foot", is a large order (biology), order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, and includes crabs, lobsters, crayfis ...

(''Decapoda'') File:Haeckel Gamochonia Tafel 054 300.jpg,

Cephalopod A cephalopod is any member of the molluscan Taxonomic rank, class Cephalopoda (Greek language, Greek plural , ; "head-feet") such as a squid, octopus, cuttlefish, or nautilus. These exclusively marine animals are characterized by bilateral symm ...

(''Gamochonia'') File:Haeckel Filicinae 92.jpg,

Fern The ferns (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta) are a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. They differ from mosses by being vascular, i.e., having specialized tissue ...

(''Filicinae'') File:Haeckel Florideae.jpg,

Red Algae Red algae, or Rhodophyta (, ; ), make up one of the oldest groups of eukaryotic algae. The Rhodophyta comprises one of the largest Phylum, phyla of algae, containing over 7,000 recognized species within over 900 Genus, genera amidst ongoing taxon ...

(''Florideae'') File:Haeckel Lichenes.jpg,

Lichen A lichen ( , ) is a hybrid colony (biology), colony of algae or cyanobacteria living symbiotically among hypha, filaments of multiple fungus species, along with yeasts and bacteria embedded in the cortex or "skin", in a mutualism (biology), m ...

(''Lichenes'') File:Haeckel Lacertilia.jpg,

Lizard Lizard is the common name used for all Squamata, squamate reptiles other than snakes (and to a lesser extent amphisbaenians), encompassing over 7,000 species, ranging across all continents except Antarctica, as well as most Island#Oceanic isla ...

(''Lacertilia'') File:Haeckel Muscinae.jpg,

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular plant, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic phylum, division Bryophyta (, ) ''sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Wilhelm Philippe Schimper, Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryo ...

(''Muscinae'') File:Haeckel Nepenthaceae.jpg, ''

Nepenthes ''Nepenthes'' ( ) is a genus of carnivorous plants, also known as tropical pitcher plants, or monkey cups, in the monotypic family Nepenthaceae. The genus includes about 170 species, and numerous natural and many cultivated hybrids. They are m ...

'' (''Nepenthaceae'') File:Haeckel Nudibranchia.jpg,

Nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs, belonging to the order Nudibranchia, that shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have b ...

(''Nudibranchia'') File:Haeckel Narcomedusae.jpg, Trachylina (''Narcomedusae'') File:Haeckel Orchidae.jpg,

Orchid Orchids are plants that belong to the family Orchidaceae (), a diverse and widespread group of flowering plants with blooms that are often colourful and fragrant. Orchids are cosmopolitan plants that are found in almost every habitat on Eart ...

(''Orchidae'') File:Haeckel Ostraciontes.jpg,

Boxfish Ostraciidae or Ostraciontidae is a family of squared, Actinopterygii, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfi ...

(''Ostraciontes'') File:Haeckel Prosobranchia.jpg, ''

Prosobranchia Prosobranchia was a large Taxonomy (biology), taxonomic Class (biology), subclass of sea snails, land snails and freshwater snails. This taxon of gastropods dates back to the 1920s. It has however been proven to be polyphyly, polyphyletic (consis ...

(obsolete classification)'' File:Haeckel Siphonophorae.jpg, ''

'' File:Haeckel Spumellaria.jpg, Polycystine (''Spumellaria'') File:Haeckel Stephoidea edit.jpg, Radiolarian (''Stephoidea'') File:Haeckel Tineida.jpg,

Moth Moths are a group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not Butterfly, butterflies. They were previously classified as suborder Heterocera, but the group is Paraphyly, paraphyletic with respect to butterflies (s ...

(''Tineida'') File:Haeckel Trochilidae.jpg,

Hummingbird Hummingbirds are birds native to the Americas and comprise the Family (biology), biological family Trochilidae. With approximately 366 species and 113 genus, genera, they occur from Alaska to Tierra del Fuego, but most species are found in Cen ...

(''Trochilidae'') File:Haeckel Tubulariae.jpg, Tubularia (''Tubulariae'') File:Cirripedia. - Rankenkreble LCCN2015648939.jpg File:Haeckel Cirripedia.jpg, Cirripedia, , (1904).

References

*Breidbach, Olaf. ''Visions of Nature: The Art and Science of Ernst Haeckel''. Prestel Verlag: Munich, 2006.

External links

Marine Biological Laboratory Library
- An exhibition of material on Haeckel, including background on many plates.
University Art Gallery, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
- An Ernst Haeckel exhibition from 2005 pairing prints from with modern sculptures.

- An online version of with scanned images of the 100 plates, accompanying descriptions, table of contents and supplemental pages (in German).
(PDF)
* Detailed views of the volume are a
Biodiversity Heritage Library
* Individual plate images are available o
Flickr
{{Authority control Natural history Biology books Science in art 1899 non-fiction books 1904 non-fiction books Art Nouveau works Animals in art 1899 in biology Lithographs

Publication

Themes

Influence

Gallery of prints

See also

References

External links