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

lithographic Lithography () is a planographic method of printing originally based on the immiscibility of oil and water. The printing is from a stone (lithographic limestone) or a metal plate with a smooth surface. It was invented in 1796 by the German a ...

and halftone prints by German biologist Ernst Haeckel.

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

engraving Engraving is the practice of incising a design onto a hard, usually flat surface by cutting grooves into it with a burin. The result may be a decorated object in itself, as when silver, gold, steel, or glass are engraved, or may provide an in ...

s were produced based on Haeckel's sketches and

watercolor Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (British English; see spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin ''aqua'' "water"), is a painting method”Watercolor may be as old as art itself, going back to ...

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

boxfish Ostraciidae is a family of squared, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfishes and trunkfishes. It contains ...

es to the spirals of ammonites 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

radiolarian The Radiolaria, also called Radiozoa, are protozoa of diameter 0.1–0.2 mm that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell into the inner and outer portions of endoplasm and ectoplasm. The elab ...

s, 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 animals found both in freshwater and marine environments, predominantly the latter. Their distinguishing feature is cnidocytes, specialized cells that ...

also feature prominently throughout the book, including

sea anemones Sea anemones are a group of predatory marine invertebrates of the order Actiniaria. Because of their colourful appearance, they are named after the ''Anemone'', a terrestrial flowering plant. Sea anemones are classified in the phylum Cnidaria, ...

as well as

Siphonophorae Siphonophorae (from Greek ''siphōn'' 'tube' + ''pherein'' 'to bear') is an order within Hydrozoa, which is a class of marine organisms within the phylum Cnidaria. According to the World Register of Marine Species, the order contains 175 speci ...

, Semaeostomeae, and other

medusae Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrella- ...

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

jellyfish Jellyfish and sea jellies are the informal common names given to the medusa-phase of certain gelatinous members of the subphylum Medusozoa, a major part of the phylum Cnidaria. Jellyfish are mainly free-swimming marine animals with umbrell ...

that Haeckel observed and described shortly after the death of his wife Anna Sethe.

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 were influenced by Haeckel's images, including René Binet,

Karl Blossfeldt Karl Blossfeldt (June 13, 1865December 9, 1932) was a German photographer and sculptor. He is best known for his close-up photographs of plants and living things, published in 1929 as ''Urformen der Kunst''. He was inspired, as was his father, b ...

Hans Christiansen Hans Christiansen may refer to: * Hans Christiansen (sailor) * Hans Christiansen (artist) Hans Christiansen (6 March 1866 in Flensburg – 5 January 1945 in Wiesbaden) was a German craftsman and painter of the Jugendstil ''Jugendstil'' ("You ...

, and Émile Gallé. One prominent example is the Amsterdam Commodities Exchange designed by

Hendrik Petrus Berlage Hendrik Petrus Berlage (21 February 1856 – 12 August 1934) was a Dutch architect. He is considered one of the fathers of the architecture of the Amsterdam School. Life and work Hendrik Petrus Berlage, son of Nicolaas Willem Berlage and An ...

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

Siphonophore Siphonophorae (from Greek ''siphōn'' 'tube' + ''pherein'' 'to bear') is an order within Hydrozoa, which is a class of marine organisms within the phylum Cnidaria. According to the World Register of Marine Species, the order contains 175 specie ...

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

Diatoms A diatom (New Latin, Neo-Latin ''diatoma''), "a cutting through, a severance", from el, διάτομος, diátomos, "cut in half, divided equally" from el, διατέμνω, diatémno, "to cut in twain". is any member of a large group com ...

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

Arachnid Arachnida () is a class of joint-legged invertebrate animals (arthropods), in the subphylum Chelicerata. Arachnida includes, among others, spiders, scorpions, ticks, mites, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, camel spiders, whip spiders and vinegar ...

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

Ascidian Ascidiacea, commonly known as the ascidians, tunicates (in part), and sea squirts (in part), is a polyphyletic class in the subphylum Tunicata of sac-like marine invertebrate filter feeders. Ascidians are characterized by a tough outer "tunic" m ...

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

Frog A frog is any member of a diverse and largely carnivorous group of short-bodied, tailless amphibians composing the order Anura (ανοὐρά, literally ''without tail'' in Ancient Greek). The oldest fossil "proto-frog" ''Triadobatrachus'' is ...

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

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

'' File:Haeckel Chelonia.jpg,

Turtle Turtles are an order of reptiles known as Testudines, characterized by a special shell developed mainly from their ribs. Modern turtles are divided into two major groups, the Pleurodira (side necked turtles) and Cryptodira (hidden necked t ...

(''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 eukaryotic flagella, but are in general shorter and present in much larger numbers, with a differen ...

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

Bat Bats are mammals of the order Chiroptera.''cheir'', "hand" and πτερόν''pteron'', "wing". 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 ...

(''Chiroptera'') File:Haeckel Coniferae.jpg, Conifer (''Coniferae'') File:Haeckel Copepoda.jpg, Copepod (''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 (literally "ten-footed") are an order (biology), order of crustaceans within the class Malacostraca, including many familiar groups, such as crabs, lobsters, crayfish, Caridea, shrimp and Dendrobranchiata, prawns. Most ...

(''Decapoda'') File:Haeckel Gamochonia Tafel 054 300.jpg, Cephalopod (''Gamochonia'') File:Haeckel Filicinae 92.jpg,

Fern A fern (Polypodiopsida or Polypodiophyta ) is a member of a group of vascular plants (plants with xylem and phloem) that reproduce via spores and have neither seeds nor flowers. The polypodiophytes include all living pteridophytes exce ...

(''Filicinae'') File:Haeckel Florideae.jpg, Red Algae (''Florideae'') File:Haeckel Lichenes.jpg, Lichen (''Lichenes'') File:Haeckel Lacertilia.jpg, Lizard (''Lacertilia'') File:Haeckel Muscinae.jpg, Moss (''Muscinae'') File:Haeckel Nepenthaceae.jpg, '' Nepenthes'' (''Nepenthaceae'') File:Haeckel Nudibranchia.jpg,

Nudibranch Nudibranchs () are a group of soft-bodied marine gastropod molluscs which shed their shells after their larval stage. They are noted for their often extraordinary colours and striking forms, and they have been given colourful nicknames to match, ...

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

Trachylina Trachylinae (also Trachylina, Trachylinida, etc.) is a subclass of hydrozoans. It is placed at order rank in many older classifications, and limited to contain the Narcomedusae, Trachymedusae, the Actinulidae, then considered an independent orde ...

(''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. Along with the Asteraceae, they are one of the two largest families of flowerin ...

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

Boxfish Ostraciidae is a family of squared, bony fish belonging to the order Tetraodontiformes, closely related to the pufferfishes and filefishes. Fish in the family are known variously as boxfishes, cofferfishes, cowfishes and trunkfishes. It contains ...

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

Prosobranchia Prosobranchia was a large taxonomic 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 polyphyletic (consisting of more than one lineage of descent). Gen ...

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

'' File:Haeckel Spumellaria.jpg,

Polycystine The polycystines are a group of radiolarians. They include the vast majority of the fossil radiolaria, as their skeletons are abundant in marine sediments, making them one of the most common groups of microfossils. These skeletons are composed ...

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

Radiolarian The Radiolaria, also called Radiozoa, are protozoa of diameter 0.1–0.2 mm that produce intricate mineral skeletons, typically with a central capsule dividing the cell into the inner and outer portions of endoplasm and ectoplasm. The elab ...

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

Moth Moths are a paraphyletic group of insects that includes all members of the order Lepidoptera that are not butterflies, with moths making up the vast majority of the order. There are thought to be approximately 160,000 species of moth, many of w ...

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

Tubularia ''Tubularia'' is a genus of hydroids resembling furry pink tufts or balls at the end of long strings, owing to the common names "pink-mouthed" or "pink-hearted" hydroids. Description The average height of an individual colony is 40–60&nbs ...

(''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 300 dpi scans of the 100 plates, their scheme plates, the accompanying description, table of contents and supplement pages (in german).
Ernst Haeckel's as zoomable images
- One hundred plates of (requires flash).

{{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